Buffalo Bill, Barnum & Bailey And Zazel
A rare collection of scrap and photograph albums associated with the circus, entertainment and travelling shows from circa 1877 to the early 1900s, comprising:
-- A scrap album of material associated with Zazel - human cannon ball and high wire artist, compiled between 1877-1907 including two song sheets for Zazel Valses by Charles Dubois [Musical Director, Royal Aquarium], each with illustrated chromolithographic covers of Zazel performing her feats, two photographs of Zazel at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster by the London Stereoscopic Company, one of her standing at the mouth of a cannon, the other of her on the high wire -- 6¼x8in. (15.9x20.3cm.) and 8¼x6¼in. (21x15.8cm.) respectively; an autograph letter, signed from P.T.Barnum to Mr George Starr, on Murray Hill Hotel, 40th to 41st St, Park Avenue, New York, headed paper stating ...my wife says she will give Zazel a bouquet if she will wear a white costume when up on the wire. Really she cannot be seen up there in darkness and her act is too good to be lost. Yours P.T.Barnum, 1p. with corresponding envelope; Zazel personalized stationary (cropped), Zazel [Rosa Matilda Richter's] birth certificate; and various cuttings from the Illustrated Sporting Dramatic News, Vanity Fair, The Penny Illustrated paper, Punch, Daily Chronicle, Kansas City Times and others, in an album, full morocco boards decorated in gilt with a motif of a cannon it's barrel inscribed Zazel (album fire-damaged);
-- A photograph album containing sixty-nine photographs of Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show On Earth, circa early 1900s, subjects include: various rail cars -- the advertising car, sleeping cars, the elephant car, the camel car; unloading elephants, various cars being loaded on and off the S.S. Michigan in Hamburg, setting up the menagerie tent, various procession wagons containing lions, hippos, goats and dogs, views of the show ground and advertising hoardings, a line-up of various circus stars captioned The Prodigies including freaks, crowds watching the procession and waiting to gain entry to the tents, a chariot race, interior views of the hippodrome tent and menagerie and work shop in Stoke-on-Trent, various sizes, largest -- 11 3/8x9 3/8in. (28.9x23.8cm.) (front cover missing);
-- A photograph album containing approximately sixty-four photographs of Buffalo Bill's Wild West And Congress Of Rough Riders Of The World Show, circa 1903-1905, various scenes include a show ground in Paris beneath the Eiffel tower, Red Indians riding on parade through Paris, Buffalo Bill shaking hands with a Indian chief Irontail, Indians and families outside their teepees in the Indian village within the show ground, chief Irontail and others smoking a calumet/peace-pipe various troops including Cowboys, Cossacks, Arabs, Gauchos, also a 'victim' enacting scenes with a giant Moor [probably Aaron Moore who stood 8ft 2½in. (2m 50cm.) high, Indians including Chief Irontail, Buffalo Bill, Cowboys and the Deadwood Mailcoach, Buffalo Bill and Red Indians on horseback outside the arena, various members of Buffalo Bill's staff including business manager Jule Keen in his wagon and Buffalo Bill posing for publicity shots in his tent and on the showground, various sizes, majority -- 4¾x6¾in. (12x17.2cm.)
-- A family photograph album, majority of the sixty-two photographs appear to be of Zazel and her family, four showing crowds outside the entrance to Barnum & Baileys's Greatest Show On Earth in Paris and five others of individuals beside various Buffalo Bill's Wild West show wagons and teepees, largest -- 5¼x4½in. (13.3x11.4cm.) (4)