Step Right Up!

-

 

Rice Brothers Minstrel, Vaudeville, and Dancing Girl Shows, c. 1915

 

Hi Guys!

If you ask me, the best part of any fair is the sideshow!  I mean, where else can you see the world's wonders for next-to-nothing?  It's education, entertainment, and excitement, all in one!

A century ago, sideshows were even better!  You could see all kinds of stuff:  exotic animals, magic acts, theatrical shows, silent movies, daredevil stunts, beauty pageants, and the usual assembly of special people!  To give you an idea, let's take a stroll down the midway of 100 or more years ago!



"Beautiful Nina," Theatrical Melodrama, c. 1910


"Maid of the Mist,"  Swimming Girl Show, c. 1910


"The Merry Widows" and "Hero of the Plains," Theatrical Melodramas, c. 1910


Boxing Show, c. 1910


"Buster Brown" and "Human Laundry," Funhouses at Woodside park, Philadelphia, c. 1910


"Katzenjammer Kastle,"  Funhouse, 1908



"Mamie," Theatrical Melodrama, 1908


Owens, the Armless Musician; and Romaine Hippodrome, Educated Dog Show, 1907



Spiral Ball Walker, c. 1905

Pretty cool, huh?  I'd say those are some dimes well spent!  See you next time!


*******

*******

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Andrew The Bee's Four Color Safari

-
Image
 All You Need To Survive -  The Thrill-Packed World Of JUNGLE COMICS! Ingagi, 1930, The queer half breed child. In Darkest Africa, 1936. The Back Cover   https://youtu.be/OKGCaiZDV28 Andrew the Bee is one of the extremely talented artists and writers I know from DeviantArt.  Andy is as good as any artist there is and it is an delight to be able to put up his work on my site.  We did this before but because the post depended on my knowledge of computer files it may have fallen a tad flat.  Here is the earlier version of this essay about a comics genre that I knew nothing about before reading all this. https://misterscribbles.blogspot.com/2020/01/jungle-comics-safari.html https://www.deviantart.com/andibi
Read more

The Madonna Of Stalingrad

-
Image
This superior drawing is known as the "Madonna of Stalingrad".  It was drawn by Lt. Kurt Reuber, a doctor and a protestant pastor.  It measures 3' by 4', and is charcoal on the back of a Soviet map.  It reads, running down the left side, Christmas at the siege, Fortress Stalingrad, Light, Love, Life.  It was flown out by his battalion commander (why was an officer leaving, his place was with his men) on what Wikipedia says is the last flight out but I dispute that.  Could be, though.  Reuber died in a work camp.  He drew another before his death.  The original is on display at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church in Berlin. The Prisoner's Madonna.  Reuber. The Germans starved their POW's to death, by policy.  The Russians then starved their German prisoners to death, by policy.  Of the 91,000 6th Army prisoners, 6000 would return home a decade later. 'The Eastern Front was the armies of two mass murderer...
Read more

Two Bad Men, Said Their Murderers

-
Image
John Choate, 25 August 1818 - 3 August 1869 Crokett Choate, 1842 -3 August 1869 This tells of a grave by the dashing wave A fond friends lip that did quiver Of an eye that's hid by a leaden lid And a voice now stilled forever. John on the left.  They were originally buried where they were killed but October of that year the Refugio Masons moved the bodies to Rockport.  This was all part of the Sutton-Taylor feud, the Suttons were backed by the U. S. Government and of no particular righteousness, they were badge wearing murderers and bullies.  The two story house with the porch running around the second floor in the left background belongs to my sister.  A lovely house and the best behaved neighbors possible! Photos by Steve Davis. The man who killed them.  Sheriff.  Regulator. Murderer. https://books.google.com/books?id=PUvanZiwzdUC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=john+and+crockett+choate+death+jack+hel...
Read more