Circus Collections - Introduction
 When
the National Fairground Archive was officially inaugurated at the University
of Sheffield in November 1994, the aim of the Archive was to collect and
preserve the history of travelling fairgrounds and allied entertainments
in particular circus.This link was important as it reflected the strong
relationship between the travelling showfamilies, particularly those who
were connected to circus as in the Shufflebottom and Scott families and
also famous circus families such as the Smart family who started their
show business activities on the fairground. With the donation of
the CFA Library to the National Fairground Archive earlier in the year,
this relationship can now be researched alongside other circus items in
the main NFA collection.
The NFA’s main catalogue
also contains many items of interest to circus historians and enthusiasts,
not withstanding the photographic material which includes 2800 photographs
but also the handbills, programmes and posters. Posters relating to early
freak show acts which appeared on both the fairground and in the circus
are an important part of this material, in particular the handbill from
Barnum’s Great Show. This and other items have been on loan at the Museum
of Dusseldorf in Germany where 1000s of visitors have seen the exhibition
The printed pamphlets and
illustrations relating to the history of circus performance are also well
represented in the NFA. Items from the Illustrated London News,
the Graphic and other 19th century newspapers and magazines
have been repaired and are currently being catalogued. These include
two wonderful four page programmes from Astley’s and Sanger’s permanent
circuses in London and date from the 1860s. Steel engravings of circuses
of Astley’s Amphitheatre, the departure of Jumbo from the London Zoo in
1882, and horsemanship at the Paris Hippodrome are just some of the items
which reflect the international nature of circus history.
 The
impact of the great American showmen such as Buffalo Bill Cody and P.T
Barnum are also well represented in the collection. Both the CFA library
and the NFA book holdings include many items of interest in particular
three different programmes for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West exhibition during
its visits to the United Kingdom, handbills and brochures for Barnum’s
freak shows and most recently a souvenir coin/medal commemorating the
visit of Tom Thumb to London in 1843.
A recent acquisition in Germany
was a large poster advertising Le Cheval Aerien from the Hippodrome in
Paris. This beautifully decorated chromolithographic poster needs extensive
conservation but will prove a wonderful addition to the collection of
Argyle Theatre posters from the 1890s which are also held by the Archive.
The Fairground Association of Great Britain recently paid for the restoration
of travelling menagerie poster dating from Whittington’s Royal Balmoral
Menagerie which was found in the bottom of a packing trunk and dates to
the mid 1880s. This will be placed on display alongside many 100s of items
from the Archive which will form the basis for a large travelling exhibition
on the history of popular entertainment which will open in October 2003.
The modern and changing face
of the circus is an important part of the NFA’s collecting policy and
recent posters from all the major touring circuses to visit the United
Kingdom are now finding their way into the Archive. This is due
to the support of many of the circus enthusiasts who have sent examples
from America, Germany as well as those that visit their local town.
 During
the next two years, the NFA and its staff will be cataloguing and preserving
this material relating to circus in particular the photographic collection
from the late Hal Fisher, the albums donated by Arthur Pedlar and the
most recent donation of circus and fairground films from Noel Drewe.
This large filmic record includes footage from the 1930s onwards including
film of Richard Shufflebottom’s Wild West Show, the Mills and Smart circuses
and much more. It is hoped that during the 10th anniversary
celebrations of the National Fairground Archive in 2004 that much of this
material will be displayed, exhibited and presented at the University
to mark the occasion.
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