The spectacle of the circus was recorded by such well-known artists as Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Seurat, Renoir and Tissot. Many of the most famous Paris circuses in the 19th century were held in permanent locations such as the popular Cirque d'Hiver on the Boulevard du Filles-du-Calvaire. However, there was such an interest in circuses throughout France, that this lively entertainment was also provided in the provinces by itinerant circus performers known as forains. These small-time performers travelled in wagons and set up their tents at fairs on the outskirts of town. In our picture, the circus performers march through the streets on a snowy, winter night. The artist has perfectly captured the mood of isolation, so often felt and emphasized in 19th century depictions of circus performers, by showing the two children shivering from the cold as they try to balance on their stilts. In the background, the shadowy figures of the townsfolk can be seen watching what was a common, but surely a strange sight.