Exterior View of Astley's Amphitheatre as it appeared in 1777 from an original drawing by William Capon
Artist
Charles John Smith
Date1777
MediumInk on paper, etching, aquatint
DimensionsHEIGHT: 8 1/2 × 11 in. (21.6 × 27.9 cm)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineTibbals Circus Collection
Object numberht8000704
A wonderful etching depicting the exterior of Philip Astley's riding school around 1777 shows that artistic images of circus acts were already critical to building popular enthusiasm for the performance. In addition to the letterpress bills posted along the walls, presumably listing the highlights of the current performance, the large, colorful, hand-painted pictorial banners gave passers-by an idea of the amazing feats to be seen behind those walls. Whether in permanent structures like Astley’s original amphitheater or the many other buildings that sprang were constructed throughout Europe or traveling across countries in tented pavilions, circuses have always employed fantastic visual imagery to transform the world around them.
On View
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