Feat of Mr. Sands the "Air-Walker", at Drury Lane Theatre, 1853
Print
1853 (printed)
1853 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Hand coloured print entitled showing the acrobat Richard Sands (d.1861) performing a famous act in which he walked across the ceiling of buildings at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1853.
Richard Sands was an American acrobat, equestrian and 'ceiling walker'. He ran his own circus, Sand's American Circus, which first visited England in 1842, with a stud of 35 horses and 25 equestrians. Richard Sands later went into partnership with the famous lion tamer Isaac Van Amburgh. Sands presented his 'air walking' act at the Surrey Theatre and later at Drury Lane in 1853, using rubber suction pads attached to his feet. In 1861 however, the stunt ended in disaster in America. He was challenged to walk across the ceiling of a civic building in Melrose, Massachusetts but when a section of plaster he was 'standing' on, gave way, he was killed by the fall.
Richard Sands was an American acrobat, equestrian and 'ceiling walker'. He ran his own circus, Sand's American Circus, which first visited England in 1842, with a stud of 35 horses and 25 equestrians. Richard Sands later went into partnership with the famous lion tamer Isaac Van Amburgh. Sands presented his 'air walking' act at the Surrey Theatre and later at Drury Lane in 1853, using rubber suction pads attached to his feet. In 1861 however, the stunt ended in disaster in America. He was challenged to walk across the ceiling of a civic building in Melrose, Massachusetts but when a section of plaster he was 'standing' on, gave way, he was killed by the fall.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Feat of Mr. Sands the "Air-Walker", at Drury Lane Theatre, 1853 (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Engraving, printed ink on paper. |
| Brief description | Hand coloured print entitled showing the acrobat Richard Sands (d.1861) performing at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1853 |
| Physical description | Hand coloured print entitled showing the acrobat Richard Sands (d.1861) performing and an in which he walked upon the ceiling of the theatre at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1853. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by the British Theatre Museum Association |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary reference | |
| Summary | Hand coloured print entitled showing the acrobat Richard Sands (d.1861) performing a famous act in which he walked across the ceiling of buildings at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1853. Richard Sands was an American acrobat, equestrian and 'ceiling walker'. He ran his own circus, Sand's American Circus, which first visited England in 1842, with a stud of 35 horses and 25 equestrians. Richard Sands later went into partnership with the famous lion tamer Isaac Van Amburgh. Sands presented his 'air walking' act at the Surrey Theatre and later at Drury Lane in 1853, using rubber suction pads attached to his feet. In 1861 however, the stunt ended in disaster in America. He was challenged to walk across the ceiling of a civic building in Melrose, Massachusetts but when a section of plaster he was 'standing' on, gave way, he was killed by the fall. |
| Other number | PPUK 548 - PeoplePlay UK number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.3754-2013 |
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| Record created | September 24, 2013 |
| Record URL |
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