Tour poster advertising Rosaire's Big Circus appearing in Much Wenlock, Monday 19th September
Poster
20th century (made)
20th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a tour poster for a season of tenting circus presented by Rosaire's Big Circus. The date and venue of its appearance is inscribed in the space left blank for these details, and like many circus posters it emphasises the novelty of its offering: 'Everything New. Everything Up-to-date'.
Some of the '20 Star Turns' in its programme for the season are listed as: Young Derrick 'The Cleverest All-Round Boy Circus Artiste in Great Britain'; Bounce & Spring ('Barrel Jumpers'); The Verdun Troupe (Acrobats); Valento ('The Blondin of Today on the High Rope'); The Paulino Girls ('Daring & Graceful Trapeze Artistes').
The acrobat Fred Ross, born in 1877, started the fairground show that developed into Rosaire's Circus in 1904, when he bought a fairground booth at Rippenden and took it on the road with his wife, a widow, Florence Berrisford, (nee Arnold). Calling themselves Count Frederick and Countess Rosaire and buying a top for a circus a year later, their circus grew from a one-man circus to a family business. Their horses were commandeered during the first world war when Fred worked as a coal-miner but he started again after the war.
The backbone of the programme became the Count and Countess's children - their four sons, Aubrey, Dennis, Ivor and Derrick, and four daughters, Vivienne, Zena, Ida and Cissie. All were good riders. Derrick features on this bill as a boy circus artiste and their son Dennis as Valento onthe High Rope. Later, having married a Spanish circus artiste, he appeared with the circus as Don Valentino the wire-walker resplendent in Spanish costume
Some of the '20 Star Turns' in its programme for the season are listed as: Young Derrick 'The Cleverest All-Round Boy Circus Artiste in Great Britain'; Bounce & Spring ('Barrel Jumpers'); The Verdun Troupe (Acrobats); Valento ('The Blondin of Today on the High Rope'); The Paulino Girls ('Daring & Graceful Trapeze Artistes').
The acrobat Fred Ross, born in 1877, started the fairground show that developed into Rosaire's Circus in 1904, when he bought a fairground booth at Rippenden and took it on the road with his wife, a widow, Florence Berrisford, (nee Arnold). Calling themselves Count Frederick and Countess Rosaire and buying a top for a circus a year later, their circus grew from a one-man circus to a family business. Their horses were commandeered during the first world war when Fred worked as a coal-miner but he started again after the war.
The backbone of the programme became the Count and Countess's children - their four sons, Aubrey, Dennis, Ivor and Derrick, and four daughters, Vivienne, Zena, Ida and Cissie. All were good riders. Derrick features on this bill as a boy circus artiste and their son Dennis as Valento onthe High Rope. Later, having married a Spanish circus artiste, he appeared with the circus as Don Valentino the wire-walker resplendent in Spanish costume
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Tour poster advertising Rosaire's Big Circus appearing in Much Wenlock, Monday 19th September (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Printing ink on paper |
| Brief description | Tour Poster advertising Rosaire's Big Circus, inscribed with details of its appearance at Much Wenlock, Shropshire, Monday September 19th |
| Physical description | Pictorial and typographic tour poster printed in red and blue on white paper, listing some of the acts and including a small drawing of a whiteface clown with a hoop, wearing a star and cat-patterned costume or 'sac'. Inscribed in black crayon with the venue and date of the appearance: 'Much Wenlock Mon Sep 19' |
| Summary | This is a tour poster for a season of tenting circus presented by Rosaire's Big Circus. The date and venue of its appearance is inscribed in the space left blank for these details, and like many circus posters it emphasises the novelty of its offering: 'Everything New. Everything Up-to-date'. Some of the '20 Star Turns' in its programme for the season are listed as: Young Derrick 'The Cleverest All-Round Boy Circus Artiste in Great Britain'; Bounce & Spring ('Barrel Jumpers'); The Verdun Troupe (Acrobats); Valento ('The Blondin of Today on the High Rope'); The Paulino Girls ('Daring & Graceful Trapeze Artistes'). The acrobat Fred Ross, born in 1877, started the fairground show that developed into Rosaire's Circus in 1904, when he bought a fairground booth at Rippenden and took it on the road with his wife, a widow, Florence Berrisford, (nee Arnold). Calling themselves Count Frederick and Countess Rosaire and buying a top for a circus a year later, their circus grew from a one-man circus to a family business. Their horses were commandeered during the first world war when Fred worked as a coal-miner but he started again after the war. The backbone of the programme became the Count and Countess's children - their four sons, Aubrey, Dennis, Ivor and Derrick, and four daughters, Vivienne, Zena, Ida and Cissie. All were good riders. Derrick features on this bill as a boy circus artiste and their son Dennis as Valento onthe High Rope. Later, having married a Spanish circus artiste, he appeared with the circus as Don Valentino the wire-walker resplendent in Spanish costume |
| Associated object | S.221-1994 (Object) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.234-1994 |
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| Record created | April 8, 2021 |
| Record URL |
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