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Artefacts: Bostock and Wombwell at Hull fair

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Hull, in East Yorkshire is one of those cities that has a long tradition of markets and fairs. The Hull Fair is a regular annual event from the thirteenth century onwards and is rivelled only by the Nottingham Goose Fair and Bartholomew’s Fair in central London. It was then, a popular destination for the travelling menageries. Wombwell is known to have attended and Bostock and Wombwell shows were a favorite with the nineteenth century audiences.

There were a series of excellent photographs taken of B&W at Hull Fair. This is probably the finest example of the menagerie booth photographs that exist and was possibly taken in 1919 although the fashion might indicate somewhat earlier.

Artefacts: Bostock’s Jungle

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During the early part of the twentieth century, Frank Bostock returned to England from New York and toured his Bostock’s Jungle.  It visited several large cities and  Earl’s Court, another of those large exhibition sites in London. It had also operated for 7 months in Sheffield, South Yorkshire during 1910.

Here is one of the many postcards produced to advertise the shows:

Artefacts: Bertram Mills Circus, Christmas 1936

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At the very end of the Menageries era, circuses were finding winter quarters. One famous venue was the Olympia exhibition halls in central London. Bertam Mills were regular occupants over the winter for a period greater than thirty years. Indeed, it is where I was introduced to the circus for the first time. Here is the front cover and some internal pages from the 1936 season programme.

Other scanned images are available.

 

 

 

New Article: Jamrach’s Animal Emporium

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Charles Jamrach (1815 – 1891) was the leading dealer and his emporium was situated in what was then known as Ratcliff Highway in east London — at the time the largest such shop in the world. From the description the building can be placed on the 1868 Edward Weller map of London near to the Tobacco Dock somewhere along St George’s Road (to the right of North Quay).
Jamrach was born in Germany. His father, Johann Gottlieb Jamrach, waschief of the Hamburg river police, whose contacts with sailors enabled him to build up a trade as a dealer in birds and wild animals, establishing branches in Antwerp and London. George Wombwell is thought to have started in a similar fashion having made acquaintances with many sea captains coming into the London docks earlier in the century.
Charles Jamrach moved to London and took over that branch of the business after his father’s death in circa 1840. He became a leading importer with agents in other major British ports, including Liverpool, Southampton and Plymouth. As indicated in the article, his business included a shop and a museum named Jamrach’s Animal Emporium and it is thought Jamrach also had a menagerie in Betts Street in the East End and a warehouse in Old Gravel Lane, Southwark, in South London.

Added Artefact: Menagerie Painting: Princes Street from the Mound, Edinburgh

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The following oil painting by Charles Halkerston (-1899) is owned by Edinburgh Museums and Galleries(contact direct to see this painting). It was kindly pointed out to me by Dr Tom Normand, School of Art History, St Andrew’s University, otherwise it might have gone unnoticed due to its title.

I cannot find anything concerning the artist, but it looks a fine example of a social historical document painted in 1843.

The menagerie can bee seen to consist of wagons(the yellow/brown slats in the painting, which have been drawn in a square or a rectangle to form the booth. This was possibly an annual fair occurring in Princes Street, Edinburgh.

George Wombwell was often a visitor to Edinburgh, Wallace his famous lion, being born there in 1812. There’s no knowing which menagerie it was of course, but the painting gives the approximate scale of menageries and other booths at these mid century fairs. The elephant and entourage could be the start or the finish of a parade down Princes Street.

by Charles Halkerston dated 1843, Oil on panel, 28 x 47.3 cm

Added Artefacts: “Lord” Geoge Sanger’s Circus in Luton, England 1931

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The following ancient photographs were taken from a personal album of a former Luton resident. They were labelled: Sanger’s Circus in Luton, Beds 1931.

 

“Lord” George Sanger had died many years before, but his circus travelled till 1941 when it was broken up due to food rationing, a ban on performing animals(in case they escaped during an air raid!) as well as labour shortages.

These photographs represent some of the last remaining documents of a travelling circus pre-WWII. The adult elephant may be Sanger’s famous Annie(who lived over 50 years) or her younger companion Alice.

It is not known who the girls are, but they probably rode the elephants during a show. It is interesting to see the continuation of the African theme right into the 1930s. They were obviously very accustomed to handling big cats so they were probably not local Bedfordshire girls. Any further information on them and the elephant keeper in the lower photograph would be gratefully appreciated.

 

 

Added Artefact: Modern Reprint of Sedgewick’s American Jungle Wagon

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The following is a modern reproduction of an ancient photograph of one of Sedgewick’s American Jungle wagons. Little is known about this outfit. Any assistance is gratefully received.

There’s a distinct American style about the wagon which probably contains animals rather than people. Date of the original photograph is not known.

Added Artefact: Old Postcard of Ora Cecil the Leopard trainer from the USA

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The following postcard, issued by Frank Bostock at Coney Island, New York, shows Miss (sometimes known as Princess) Ora Cecil training a young leopard.

Cecil once commented:

“…little cats are nicer than the big ones I think, but more treacherous and have to be handled each in his or her own way. They are playful at times and like to be petted, but you never can be sure whether they will hurt you or not.

One funny thing about them though, is that once they have been trained by a woman, they will not work for a man.”

Elmira Daily Gazette, July 20th 1904

Ora Cecil appeared for Frank Bostock at both Coney Island and Atlanta city.