1700s Circus Milestones: Hannah's 2017 Advent Calendar

The 1700s

1768–1770

THE FIRST CIRCUS!

Sergeant-Major Philip Astley

Philip Astley rose through the British ranks during the Seven Years War. He was known as a humane, skillful equestrian instructor.

But as the king lost power, riding masters lost work. He was awarded his white steed and travelled to fairs where he performed and passed his hat, and learned new tricks from other riders.

Astley, tall and flamboyant, had instincts for both business and showmanship. In 1768 he opened a riding school near Westminster Bridge in London. He gave lessons in the morning and held demonstrations in the afternoon.

The arena had bleachers surrounding a ring, a "circle" or "circus," Latin for any circular area. (Like Piccadilly Circus.)

In 1770 he expanded the arena with spectator boxes and brought in large crowds in the afternoons to see his trick riding.

In the intermissions between equestrian displays, jugglers, ropedancers, and acrobats entertained. Small trained animals were included: pigs were clowns with political overtones.

Each show ended on a light note, with Elizabethan theater's Harlequin, Columbine, or Clown.

By 1772 there were two equestriennes, one of them Ashley's wife, who had performed before the crowned heads of England and France.

1760s

First circus clown

Joe Grimaldi, a spirited cockney, was said to be the first true circus clown. He had a grotesque costume and chalked face. He started out playing a monkey onstage (with his father).

1776

Declaration of Independence

1779

Ring standard size of 42' set

Astley rebuilt his arena and named it Astley's Amphitheater. In addition to the ring, it had a stage. It initially had a canvas cover to protect it from rain: by 1780 it was in a roofed building with two tiers of boxes, a pit, and a gallery. The show now included magicians, muscle men, puppets, and even a zebra. All classes of society came to see the shows.

Astley used a whip on horses, but he fed them. He withheld food from performers.

1780

Vienna circus

With no language barriers, circuses spread internationally.

1782

Second London circus: music and grandeur

One of Astley's equestrians, Charles Hughes, in partnership with Charles Dibdin, opened the Royal Circus Equestrian and Philharmonic Academy, or Hughes’s Royal Circus.

It was a lavish building with a vast stage behind the ring: the model for European Circuses until the end of the 19th century.

Because it was so much like a theater, Great Britain's Riot Act of 1714 was read from the stage and Hughes was jailed.

Astley was also jailed, but one of his riding students was the daughter of the Lord Chancellor and Astley soon got a license that allowed summer performances as long as only horse acts were featured. Hughes got a license, too: Astley and Hughes became fierce competitors. But the London authorities continued the harassment, so Astley tried Dublin.

1783

First Paris circus

Astley opened a circus in Paris, the city that would later celebrate circuses so well. Horse acts only were permitted, so Astley had eight horses carry a platform for acrobats, clowns, and jugglers.

All classes of society came. Legend has it that Marie Antoinette presented him with a gold, diamond-encrusted medal and called him the "English Rose."

In 1789 Astley had to flee the French Revolution. His arena became a barracks but Napoleon eventually returned it to Astley.

Later an Italian, Franconi, renamed it Cirque Olympique.

1793

THE FIRST AMERICAN CIRCUS!

English equestrian John Bill Rickets (from the Hughes circus) tried to open a circus in Edinburg, but the French Revolution put the public out of the mood, so Rickets set sail for America. Like Astley, he was an army veteran and a skilled rider but also a clever entrepreneur. He started with a simple riding academy in Philadelphia (the then U.S. capitol) in 1792.

By 1793 it was a circus: a roofless 42' ring surrounded by box seats and a standing room "pit."

The United States, less than 20 years old, was hungry for entertainment. Rickets soon brought over acts from his old troupe, including an acrobat, a ropedancer, and a clown named McDonald. He also included elements of a sideshow.

Family entertainment was unusual then, but the show was promoted as in good taste, not scary. New tricks were often added and narrative stories like “Alexander the Great” were frequently changed for repeat visitors.

George Washington came often, and he donated the white horse he rode in the revolution to Rickets. At least Rickets claimed it was the same horse.

Mrs. Spinacuta, equestrienne/dancer/actress, was a draw. She wore a short dress while standing on a bareback horse. No one admitted it was erotic, but it clearly was.

Rickets moved to New York City, and opened much larger circus arenas in Philadelphia, Boston, Quebec, and Montreal. He was overextended. In 1798 his Philadelphia building's dome collapsed. In 1799 his home base in Philly and his New York building both burned down. Rickets was bankrupt.

Rickets went to Jamaica where he sold all of his horses. He started to sail home to England, but his ship was captured by pirates, or at any rate lost at sea. He was never seen again.

But the seed was planted: other circuses cropped up in America.

1796

First elephant comes to America

This may have been Old Bet, who was in the menagerie of an early circus owned by a Hachaliah Bailey. People paid 25¢ just to see her. A rogue farmer shot Old Bet: her skin and bones ended up in P.T. Barnum's museum.

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