This sketch by Laura Knight depicts the great Australian tightrope walker Con Colleano (1899-1973) who performed for several seasons with Bertram Mills' Circus. Known as 'the wizard of the tight wire' he brought an exitement and aesthetic quality to circus performance. He dressed as a matador and began his act in the circus ring making passes at a bull. He then mounted the high wire and performed Spanish dance moves on the wire, removing his trousers to reveal knee-breeches. His final trick was a forward somersault, feet to feet on the wire. Colleano was the first tightrope artist to perfect this trick and Laura Knight inscribed this sketch: 'Con Colleano 'a Landing after a forward somersault'

Laura Knight (1877-1970) was fascinated by the circus and was a regular visitor to Bertram Mills' circuses at Olympia from its early days in the 1920/1921 season. A founder member of the Circus Fans' Association she painted The Grand Parade Charivari that was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1929, the same year that she travelled with the Mills/Carmo first tenting circus. She sketched and painted numerous acts from Bertram Mills’ circuses that were featured in a variety of promotional material for his shows from the early 1930s including VIP luncheon invitation cards.