National amusement: Circus and culture in America, 1830–1920

Abstract

More people attended the circus in the nineteenth-century than any other contemporary amusement. Circuses grew in number—from a handful of itinerant shows to nearly 100—and in size—from troupes of a dozen people in 1830 to an industry that employed thousands in 1920. “National Amusement: Circus and Culture in America, 1830-1920” follows the development of the circus, using this popular entertainment as a window into the changes in American society during the ninety-year span. The circus industry’s growing popularity represents a widespread acceptance of amusement, part of the larger revolution in leisure activities. The rise of the circus as the premier popular entertainment institution took roughly half a century, as the middle and religious classes waged a war of words against the tented amusement. This dissertation studies the circus’s interaction with the public, examining the battle over the control of popular culture. Circus employees, the men and women who put on the greatest show on earth, lived and worked in an environment filled with frightful train wrecks, dreadful falls, and mortal mishaps. Circus-folk formed a strong bond with one another, as they spent nearly every waking hour together. However, discrimination and segregation pervaded, as race and occupation led to the establishment of echelons among employees. Ownership and management successfully thwarted unionization, and seemed to control many aspects of their employees’ lives while they were ostensibly “off the clock.” Circuses presented patrons with exotic animals, fabulous performers, and exciting hippodrome races, but the exhibitions also contained timely commentary on the day’s leading issues. Clowns, especially through vocal performances, turned the circus ring into a forum for discussion over political topics. The big top featured the same political rancor as that in courtrooms, saloons, churches, and statehouses. Illuminating the intersection between politics and entertainment, these clown performances evidence the fact that the circus was not always a children’s entertainment. The circus also reflected and anticipated societal trends, especially those within big business. Taking advantage of advances in advertising, the circus capitalized on the medium’s power to capture the public’s attention. Circus proprietors, like their industrial counterparts, merged their operations, bought out competitors, and formed trusts designed to divide up the pool of patrons, thus limiting competition. Eventually, the biggest circuses grew so large and so tame that they ceased to hold the public’s attention as they once had, thus ending the golden era of circus operation