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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
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[[File:Bertram_Mills_Cigarette_Card.jpg|right|270px]]
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[[File:Schumann_Poster_Horses.jpg|right|300px]]
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===BERTRAM MILLS===
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===THE SCHUMANN DYNASTY===
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Founded by the German equestrian Gotthold Schumann (1824-1908), the Schumann Dynasty holds a prominent place in Scandinavian circus history and ran one of Europe’s most respected circus companies until the closure of the Danish Cirkus Bröderna Schumann in 1969. They also have an important place in German circus history, especially through Gotthold’s son Albert Schumann, Sr. (1858-1939), who created his own circus and settled in (and then purchased) Ernst Renz’s flagship circus in Berlin in 1899—which remained active under Schumann’s ownership until the end of World War I.
  
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The death of Bertram W. Mills (1873-1938) from pneumonia on April 16, 1938—the date on which his tenting circus was due to open at Luton for its 1938 tour—was a momentous event in the history of the British circus. Within five hours of the announcement, the boardings for the evening newspapers in London were proclaiming "Bertram Mills Dead." His name was truly a household one: One national newspaper announced the "Death of Britain’s Nº1 Showman" and the "King of the Modern Circus," indicating the unrivalled position in which the showman was revered.
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As circus equestrians, the Schumanns displayed a superlative talent and artistry; for five generations, they have maintained a commanding position in the circus world as horse trainers and high-school riders. Albert Schumann, Sr. is widely acknowledged as having been his generation’s greatest liberty horse trainer, and his Scandinavian nephews Willy, Ernst and Oscar, and later, Oscar’s sons Albert and Max, steadfastly preserved their family’s place in the equestrian circus’s firmament with exceptional brio.  
  
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The status in which he was regarded led to a French circus critic describing him as "the renovator of the British circus," and throughout the British Isles, the show he had created in 1920 had become known as "The Quality Show"—a title it bore proudly until its closure in 1967. Without a shadow of doubt, Mills did indeed prove to be the saviour of the British circus for his generation, and perhaps, the United Kingdom will never see another era in which this form of entertainment was held in such reverence.
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Gotthold Wilhelm Daniel Schumann was born on November 25, 1824 in Weimar, in the state of Thuringia, then part of the German Confederation. His father was a saddle maker, and Gotthold became indeed familiarized with horses at an early age. Although he was not interested in following in his father’s footsteps, horses were his passion, and he often helped groom and taking care of the neighbourhood horses. Gotthold had a brother who shared the same passion, Gustav.
  
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Lady Eleanor Smith, a great British circus lover and one of the founders of the Circus Fans’ Association of Great Britain, described Mills, always known as "The Guv’nor" to his staff, as "a short, stocky man with a bald head, a ruddy pugnacious face, a grey moustache, and twinkling, shrewd blue eyes. His eyes were as blue as the cornflower he invariably wore in his button-hole. He would have looked undressed without that cornflower…"
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Upon their father’s death in 1839, fifteen-year-old Gotthold and his brother Gustav joined the famous French company of Benoît and François Tourniaire, which was very popular in the German states since their father, Jacques Tourniaire (1772-1829), had established his company there at the beginning of the nineteenth century—before introducing the circus to Russia in 1825. Gotthold and Gustav became accomplished equestrians, as both bareback and high-school riders, and Gotthold also developed a very good juggling act on horseback. In 1841, they were hired by Eduard Wollschläger (1811-1875), whose company included such future circus luminaries as Wilhelm Carré, Wilhelm Salamonsky and Heinrich Herzog.... ([[The Schumann Dynasty|more...]])
  
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Bertram Wagstaff Mills was born in London on August 11, 1873. He was the son of Halford Lewis Mills of Smarden, Kent, and Mary Fenn Wagstaff. Halford Mills was the proprietor of a coach building firm in Paddington, London, and he owned small farms in the country, one at Harefield, the other at Chalfont St. Giles—the latter being where he stabled his horses for rest periods.... ([[Bertram Mills|more...]])
 
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==

Revision as of 21:41, 31 January 2021

Welcome! ✫ Bienvenue! ✫ Willkommen! ✫ Добро Пожаловать!
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Circopedia was originally created with the support of the Big Apple Circus Ltd. and inspired and funded by the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation.

In The Spotlight

Schumann Poster Horses.jpg

THE SCHUMANN DYNASTY

Founded by the German equestrian Gotthold Schumann (1824-1908), the Schumann Dynasty holds a prominent place in Scandinavian circus history and ran one of Europe’s most respected circus companies until the closure of the Danish Cirkus Bröderna Schumann in 1969. They also have an important place in German circus history, especially through Gotthold’s son Albert Schumann, Sr. (1858-1939), who created his own circus and settled in (and then purchased) Ernst Renz’s flagship circus in Berlin in 1899—which remained active under Schumann’s ownership until the end of World War I.

As circus equestrians, the Schumanns displayed a superlative talent and artistry; for five generations, they have maintained a commanding position in the circus world as horse trainers and high-schoolA display of equestrian dressage by a rider mounting a horse and leading it into classic moves and steps. (From the French: Haute école) riders. Albert Schumann, Sr. is widely acknowledged as having been his generation’s greatest liberty"Liberty act", "Horses at liberty": Unmounted horses presented from the center of the ring by an equestrian directing his charges with his voice, body movements, and signals from a ''chambrière'' (French), or long whip. horse trainer, and his Scandinavian nephews Willy, Ernst and Oscar, and later, Oscar’s sons Albert and Max, steadfastly preserved their family’s place in the equestrian circus’s firmament with exceptional brio.

Gotthold Wilhelm Daniel Schumann was born on November 25, 1824 in Weimar, in the state of Thuringia, then part of the German Confederation. His father was a saddle maker, and Gotthold became indeed familiarized with horses at an early age. Although he was not interested in following in his father’s footsteps, horses were his passion, and he often helped groom and taking care of the neighbourhood horses. Gotthold had a brother who shared the same passion, Gustav.

Upon their father’s death in 1839, fifteen-year-old Gotthold and his brother Gustav joined the famous French company of Benoît and François Tourniaire, which was very popular in the German states since their father, Jacques Tourniaire (1772-1829), had established his company there at the beginning of the nineteenth century—before introducing the circus to Russia in 1825. Gotthold and Gustav became accomplished equestrians, as both bareback and high-schoolA display of equestrian dressage by a rider mounting a horse and leading it into classic moves and steps. (From the French: Haute école) riders, and Gotthold also developed a very good juggling act on horseback. In 1841, they were hired by Eduard Wollschläger (1811-1875), whose company included such future circus luminaries as Wilhelm Carré, Wilhelm Salamonsky and Heinrich Herzog.... (more...)


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CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding archive of the international circus. New videos, biographies, essays, and documents are added to the site on a weekly—and sometimes daily—basis. Keep visiting us: even if today you don't find what you're looking for, it may well be here tomorrow! And if you are a serious circus scholar and spot a factual or historical inaccuracy, do not hesitate to contact us: we will definitely consider your remarks and suggestions.

Dominique Jando
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