Frans De Vos

Belgian, 1880 – 1936

BiographyFrans de Vos, 1880-1936, was the fourth of six children. His father, Charles (1845-1896), married Ida Regina Vercauteren (1850-1913) in October 1869. From 1892 the De Vos family performed all over the country, originally under the name “Theatre des enfants courageux.” Later they formed the Cirque De Vos.

After Charles’s death in 1896 the circus was continued under the direction of the eldest son Jan-Baptist. By 1904 Frans functioned as the circus’s director. In 1907 the family moved to Antwerp and shortly thereafter to Balegem. There Frans de Vos started an “aterlier” or workshop to create materials for the fairs. He employed 2 shrine workers and designed “facades” for the circus that he painted with decorative scenes. Circus (Cirque) De Vos stayed in existence until the start of WWI.

During the War Frans de Vos and his youngest daughter Jeanne fled to the Netherlands. Starting in 1916 he was working on frescoes in the Catholic church of Graauw, and other works by De Vos exist in buildings throughout Graauw. He stayed there from 1916-1918. He wife died in 1918 in Balegem before he returned from the Netherlands. Frans de Vos remarried Maria de Cank in 1919. They had 2 boys and a girl.

After the war De Vos continued to created circus facades for Circus Minnaert, De Muynck, Semay, Tondeurs, and Libot. De Vos died in Balegem at the age of 56.

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