Circus (Archive)
Come to the circus with me, the circus with me, a laboratory of treats, with large pockets stretched out over chequered feet, shall be waiting for us, TO the circus we must!
Photo taken: http://www.nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk
I ruddy love the circus- writing my dissertation about a story on Belle Vue’s forgotten zoological gardens was a treat. I also have a circus zine of poetry and stories about the whitewashed clown. I chucked in some embroidery too.
So far I have explored this circus archive material so far:
Chetham library: Belle Vue circus programs, slides, photos and poetry from the high time of the swinging circus acts.
Portico Library: The Elephant that walked to Manchester. David Barnaby
Manchester Metropolitan University, a whole plethora of books on the circus, in particular the clown, oh my clown. I thoroughly recommend: Dumbstruck: A Cultural history of Ventriloquism, Steven O’Connor.
So… soon I shall be visiting Sheffield for The National Fairground Archive to continue my research. I can’t wait.
