While the first circus in America opened in Philadelphia in 1792, the phenomenon of the modern touring circus really took off after the Civil War. Researching when the first big top circus arrived in Portsmouth is no easy task, but imagine touring the backwater towns like ours in the early 1800s in a series of wagons before the arrival of trains.
These sketches were tiny images in a Portsmouth ad for “The Joe Pentland Circus” that played here in the late 1850s. Through the magic of Photoshop, I managed to enlarge them for your edification. Born in Boston in 1816, Joe Pentland began his career, like many performers, as a juggler, wire walker, magician, and ventriloquist. By the time his troupe appeared here, he was headlining as “the greatest American clown.”
The “augmented and improved” circus, according to the newspaper ad, was “entirely dissimilar in character and vastly superior to any establishment now traveling.” The stars of the show included Mme. Louise, the peerless and dashing equestrienne, and Mr. Hemmings, the greatest “somerset rider” in the world.
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Mr. H. Horn was billed as “the only Ethiopian clown in the world, whose rich gems of genius and humor have made him a BLACK STAR, brilliant as anthracite and popular from Maine to New Orleans.” The promotion, however, likely refers to Eph Horn, a blackface actor and musician.
The Portsmouth performance also included clog dancers, gymnasts, and athletes. The illustrated ad also promised daring feats on the “Triple Trapeze” on three horses. And then came the difficult performance on the “Elastique Perche & Flying Orb.”
And that’s not all. The Joe Pentland Circus featured tumblers, vaulters, leapers, amateur equestrians, dancers, drummers, and “Triumphs of the Trampoline.” The show was preceded by a parade through town of ponies and trained animals and. It concluded with a “laughable pantomimic spectacle.” There was not enough room in the advertisement to list all the acts. Those interested in attending were invited to peruse the posters placed around town. To picture the event, simply close your eyes and ask Alexa to play “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” by the Beatles.
SEE OUR BOOK: For a history of entertainment in Portsmouth
(c) Copyright J. Dennis Robinson, SeacoastHistory
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