In my own research on the history of the 19th-century circus, I spend a lot of time in archives where I regularly come across vintage photos of clowns. Now, I don’t consider myself afraid of clowns.

Magic, romance and mystery in a 19th-Century Circus. Posted August 20, 2012 THE BASICS ...

More than a century after his untimely death, the 19th century circus star Jumbo the Elephant remains larger than life. Now a new documentary is separating fact from legend.

Historian Golden Kellem examines 19th-century circus culture for what it reveals about the “performance” of gender in this illuminating debut study.