Photograph of the acrobat Edwin Moxon and his eldest children
Photograph
ca. 1893 (made)
ca. 1893 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Born in Reading, Edwin, or Ted, Moxon (1857-1945) ran away from home to join the circus when he was 17, and travelled all over the world performing a foot-juggling act in circuses and variety theatres. He performed in Russia for seven years, spoke several languages fluently and had thirteen children. When they were mature enough, the two eldest children were trained in foot juggling to become part of the family act, the Moxon Trio. One of his daughters, Eileen, later formed her own foot-juggling act, first with her brother, and in the late 1940s as Levanda and Van with her daughter Judy who went on to perform the act independently in the 1960s.
Edwin Moxon performed in a costume of white tie, waistcoat, black breeches and tights such as he is wearing in this photograph, as well as in the more traditional Victorian acrobat's costume of leotard, trunks and matching collar. This photograph was given by Edwin Moxon's grand-daughter Judy, along with posters showing her grandfather's act, a pair of his acrobatic trunks, and a programme for London Rhapsody at the Palladium Theatre in September 1937, illustrated with an image of her mother performing the act, as well as her juggling clubs made by her grandfather.
Edwin Moxon performed in a costume of white tie, waistcoat, black breeches and tights such as he is wearing in this photograph, as well as in the more traditional Victorian acrobat's costume of leotard, trunks and matching collar. This photograph was given by Edwin Moxon's grand-daughter Judy, along with posters showing her grandfather's act, a pair of his acrobatic trunks, and a programme for London Rhapsody at the Palladium Theatre in September 1937, illustrated with an image of her mother performing the act, as well as her juggling clubs made by her grandfather.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Photographic print |
| Brief description | Photograph of the acrobat Edwin Moxon (1857-1945) and his four eldest children, Ada (b.1880), Edward (Ted) (b.1881), Elizabeth (b.1884) and William (b.1886), photograph by Atelier Wülbern, St. Pauli, Hamburg |
| Physical description | Sepia photograph of Edwin Moxon in his stage costume of white tie, black jacket, black tights and breeches, standing behind his four eldest children in their costume for the acrobatic act, consisting of white tights, knee-length velvet breeches, cummerbunds and boleros for the boys, and velvet trunks worn with velvet tunics trimmed with deep frilled lace collars for the girls. They all wear soft ballet shoes. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Judy Moxon |
| Object history | Part of a small collection given to the museum by Judy Moxon relating to foot-juggling and the act the Moxon Trio, performed by her grandfather Edwin Moxon (1857-1945) and his children, one of whom was Judy's mother Eileen. The act was performed by Eileen and Judy for ten years in the late 1940s as ' Levanda and Van', and by Judy (b.1932) solo in the 1960s. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Born in Reading, Edwin, or Ted, Moxon (1857-1945) ran away from home to join the circus when he was 17, and travelled all over the world performing a foot-juggling act in circuses and variety theatres. He performed in Russia for seven years, spoke several languages fluently and had thirteen children. When they were mature enough, the two eldest children were trained in foot juggling to become part of the family act, the Moxon Trio. One of his daughters, Eileen, later formed her own foot-juggling act, first with her brother, and in the late 1940s as Levanda and Van with her daughter Judy who went on to perform the act independently in the 1960s. Edwin Moxon performed in a costume of white tie, waistcoat, black breeches and tights such as he is wearing in this photograph, as well as in the more traditional Victorian acrobat's costume of leotard, trunks and matching collar. This photograph was given by Edwin Moxon's grand-daughter Judy, along with posters showing her grandfather's act, a pair of his acrobatic trunks, and a programme for London Rhapsody at the Palladium Theatre in September 1937, illustrated with an image of her mother performing the act, as well as her juggling clubs made by her grandfather. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.545-2014 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest Feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest Feedback
| Record created | February 24, 2014 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON