24.00 USD
A hush falls over the audience. Even the calliope has ceased its melodious strains. The ringmaster, with an almost sinister air of mystery, doffs his black silk hat and bows deeply. The air is heavy with the smells of freshly roasted peanuts and apples, popcorn, sawdust, the manure of animals, the sweat of a closely packed crowd. All eyes are glued to the center ring, in delighted anticipation of the unknown. What thrilling spectacle is about to unfold? We can expect tightrope-walkers, acrobats, dancers from strange and forbidden kingdoms, that daring young man, or woman, on the flying trapeze, jugglers and clowns. We are under the big top, the largest tent on the circus grounds, its central pole as big around as the trunk of a great tree, reaching from the eye-dazzling lights and sequined sparkles of the central ring, up, up into the heights of impenetrable darkness and gloom.
In this section, "Under the Big Top," we hope to entice you with romantic images of circus performers, and variety artists whose acts appeared on the bills not only of circuses, but of those variety shows that played on a stage, at a time when the movie industry was still in its earliest infancy, when, before the advent of television, or even radio, entertainment was always live.
Everyone has to start somewhere. Emilienne d'Alencon, one of "Les Grande Trois," famous stage performer and courtesan of la Belle Epoque, began with a trained rabbit act, all of them dyed pink!
Ionia the Enchantress, sister of Elise De Vere, Belle Epoque Artiste, performed, as a girl, in the circus with trained bears, before taking after her mother and father, and becoming a famous stage magician.
Just as thousands today flock to the newest cute pet trick on Youtube, so did theater audiences love an animal act. It has always been a great show opener. We don't know which one is Pepi, and which one is Cado, but we certainly wish we could step into our time machine and take in their act :)
Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.
And please come visit our blog at:
redpoulaine.blogspot.com
where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!