Circus in the Long Nineteenth Century

This volume of documentary sources and critical commentary provides a history of circus in Australia in the long nineteenth century. Taking root by the 1840s, Australia’s lively circus culture became the region’s dominant entertainment by the century’s end. Cultivated through exchanges with visiting international circuses and nurtured by the energetic synergy that flourished between colonial audiences and home-grown enterprises, the region’s largest circuses were also touring internationally by late in the century, contributing to global circus networks. Sources from newspapers, journals, private collections, and government archives track the growth and diversification of circus in Australia, providing insight into its business, aesthetics, experience, and social life.