Ethardo
Print
19th century (made)
19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Italian performer Signor Ethardo (1825-1911), who was said to have performed at the Dante Festival in Florence before King Victor Emmanuel, made his name in the UK when he walked up and down his 'spiral mountain' at Crystal Palace in Sydenham in December 1865, dressed in the spangled costume of a pantomime sprite. The following year he appeared regularly there, and according to The Morning Post, 23rd August 1866, performed his ascent: 'amid coloured fires'.
A report in Harper's Weekly, 10th February 1866 reported that: 'The globe on which this extraordinary performer works his way up and down is 30 inches in diameter, and 90 inches in circumference. The width of the winding platform is 12 inches, and flat, with no groove or protection of any sort to assist the ascent or descent, and the height of the spiral column is 50 feet. The incline winding from the base to the capital of the column is upward of 180 feet in length. The globe is constructed of wood and iron, without any India rubber, gutta-percha or other adhesive material to assist the Signor in his difficult task.'
A report in Harper's Weekly, 10th February 1866 reported that: 'The globe on which this extraordinary performer works his way up and down is 30 inches in diameter, and 90 inches in circumference. The width of the winding platform is 12 inches, and flat, with no groove or protection of any sort to assist the ascent or descent, and the height of the spiral column is 50 feet. The incline winding from the base to the capital of the column is upward of 180 feet in length. The globe is constructed of wood and iron, without any India rubber, gutta-percha or other adhesive material to assist the Signor in his difficult task.'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Ethardo (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Printed ink on paper |
| Brief description | Print celebrating the 'spiral ascensionist' Signor Ethardo (1825-1911), lithograph by Harry Maguire (1832-1916), published by Hopwood & Crew. |
| Physical description | Pictorial and typographic advertisement poster featuring a central black and white portrait of Signor Ethardo, below which is a smaller illustration of him performing his balance act |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Associated Production: Ethardo. Performers: Eduardo (ball-walker). Performance category: circus, acrobatics. |
| Summary | The Italian performer Signor Ethardo (1825-1911), who was said to have performed at the Dante Festival in Florence before King Victor Emmanuel, made his name in the UK when he walked up and down his 'spiral mountain' at Crystal Palace in Sydenham in December 1865, dressed in the spangled costume of a pantomime sprite. The following year he appeared regularly there, and according to The Morning Post, 23rd August 1866, performed his ascent: 'amid coloured fires'. A report in Harper's Weekly, 10th February 1866 reported that: 'The globe on which this extraordinary performer works his way up and down is 30 inches in diameter, and 90 inches in circumference. The width of the winding platform is 12 inches, and flat, with no groove or protection of any sort to assist the ascent or descent, and the height of the spiral column is 50 feet. The incline winding from the base to the capital of the column is upward of 180 feet in length. The globe is constructed of wood and iron, without any India rubber, gutta-percha or other adhesive material to assist the Signor in his difficult task.' |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.5121-1995 |
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| Record created | August 3, 2010 |
| Record URL |
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