Tightrope Collection (#3)

Acrobat on Tightrope Date: 1950

Baby Scouts -- telegraph wire
Baby Scouts -- While Tiny, aged just ten months and a half, brings scouting messages by telegraph. Date: 1900

TIGHTROPE / BLONDIN & ROPE TIGHTROPE / BLONDIN & ROPE
Blondin (JEAN-FRANCOIS GRAVELET) - with his tightrope in London Date: 1861

The Rope Dance. Creator: Leonard Defrance
The Rope Dance

Adventure seeker high wire walking in Cinque Torri, Belluno, Dolomites, Italy, Europe

Blondin at Shoreditch, 1872. Creator: Gustave Doré
Blondin at Shoreditch, 1872. Charles Blondin French acrobat, walks the tightrope in Shoreditch. From, " LONDON. A Pilgrimage" by Gustave Dore and Blanchard Jerrold. [Grant and Co

The Balance of Power, 1897. Creator: John Leech
The Balance of Power, 1897. An elephant, possibly representing King Charles I of England, balances on a tightrope holding a spear

The Tight-Rope Dancer, 1919. Artist: Mabel Alington Royds
The Tight-Rope Dancer, 1919. From Modern Woodcuts and Lithographs by British and French Artists, by Geoffrey Holme. [The Studio Ltd. London, Paris, New York, 1919]

Southwark Fair, 1733, (1920). Artist: William Hogarth
Southwark Fair, 1733, 1920. From Londoners Then and Now As Pictured By Their Contemporaries, edited by Geoffrey Holme. [The Studio Ltd. London, 1920]

Elephantine Performances, pub. C. 1854 (hand coloured etching)

A Famous Tight-Rope Walker of the Seventeenth Century, 1942. From Fairs, Circuses and Music Halls, by M. Wilson Disher. [Collins, London, 1942]

I Wonder What It Is. From The Picture By Harry Rowntree From The Book Princess Marie-JosA©s Childrens Book Published 1916

Interior view of Astleys Amphitheatre in London as it appeared in 1777, (1840). Artist: William Capon
Interior view of Astleys Amphitheatre in London as it appeared in 1777, (1840). Philip Astley was the father of modern circus

Exterior view of Astleys Amphitheatre in London as it appeared in 1777, (1840). Artist: William Capon
Exterior view of Astleys Amphitheatre in London as it appeared in 1777, (1840). Philip Astley was the father of modern circus

Folly Triumphant, 1749. Artist: LP Boitard
Folly Triumphant, 1749. Illustration from Social Caricature in the Eighteenth Century... With over two hundred illustrations by George Paston [pseudonym of Emily Morse Symonds], (London, 1905)

Acrobat Exercise, (1885). Illustration from 18th Century Institutions, Usages And Costumes, France 1700-1789, by Paul Lacroix, (Paris, 1885)

Theatre de la Gaite, Niagara Falls, 1892. Artist: Henri Meyer
Theatre de la Gaite, Niagara Falls, 1892. A print from a supplement to the Le Petit Journal, 13th February 1892

A Perilous Passage, 1869. Artist: Joseph Swain
A Perilous Passage, 1869. Napoleon III of France was struggling against a wave of unpopularity at the time. He had introduced a number of measures to try and calm the situation

The Aristocratic Fate at Cremorne, 1858. Terrific Descent Amidst Showers of Water-Works. Here Punch pokes fun at the aristocratic ladies who had arranged a major fete in Cremorne Gardens

Blondin Outdone, 1859. Palmerston, dressed in contemporary circus costume, wheeling a nervous looking Lord John Russell across a tightrope with Niagara Falls in the background

Native acrobats, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
Native acrobats in action, one on a tightrope, Jabalpur (Jubbulpore), Madhya Pradesh, India. Date: circa 1930s

Circus Silhouette
A silhouette of a circus ring with tight-rope walkers. 1927

Barnum and Baileys circus, the Greatest Show on Earth, showing a woman on a tightrope with doves. Date: circa 1902

Young lady shortly fails to walk the tightrope
A young lady reads out a learned treatise upon tight-rope walking in a circus rather than actually performing on the high wire herself! Date: 1923

Acrobat walking a tightrope on a stage. circa 18th century

Four frog acrobats on a New Year card. Date: circa 1890s

Madame Saqui at Vauxhall
Madame Saqui, the celebrated tightrope walker, wearing a magnificent plumed headdress performs at Vauxhall Gardens in London Date: circa 1816

CIRCUS POSTER, c1891. Asian acrobats performing at a circus. Chromolithograph, c1891

Acrobat in green leotard and shoes balancing on tightrope near the roof of circus tent high above barely visible crowd

Man balancing on tightrope

Farina, with a Man on his Back, Crossing the Niagara on a Tightrope, Seen from Clifton House Balcony, August 29, 1860, 1860 Engraving

Text Journal in print Cromwell as tightrope walker, 1652, Anonymous, 1652

Two tightrope walkers with attributes and a clown, Anonymous, Gerardus Josephus Xavery, Pieter Schenk (II), 1728

Various Indian Games, from Americae, 1602, engraved by Theodore de Bry
BAL111678 Various Indian Games, from Americae, 1602, engraved by Theodore de Bry (1528-98) (engraving) (b&w photo) by Le Moyne, Jacques (de Morgues) (d.1587/88) (after); Private Collection; French

TIGHTROPE WALKER. A tightrope walker performing at a circus in Venice. Drawing, 18th or 19th century

WORLD WAR I: CARTOON, 1914. Italy walking a tightrope over whether to enter the war. American cartoon, September 1914, by Boardman Robinson

Blondins Rope
1859: A man tests the rope structure on which French acrobat and tightrope-walker Charles Blondin will cross the Niagara River. The Niagara suspension bridge can be seen in the background

THEATRE DES FUNAMBULES. Theatre des Funambules ( The Theatre of the Tight-Rope Dancers), celebrated for the pantomimes of Jean Gaspard Deburau. Drawing, French, 19th century

TIGHTROPE WALKER, 1860. William Leonard Hunt, known as The Great Farini, crossing the Niagara River on a tightrope with a man on his back, 29 August 1860. Contemporary English wood engraving

AMERICAN CIRCUS, 1874. The Circus. Oil on canvas, 1874, by A. Logan

CIRCUS TROUPE. Silhouette, 19th century

A performing dog on a wire

Chinese Family Tightrope Act
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: April 24, 1942 The Naittos, a Chinese family tightrope act that that performs with the circus

Tightrope Walker Con Colleano
World: 1936 Tightrope walker Con Colleano performing on a slack wire. He was the first to successfully do a forward somersault on a tightrope

Farina, with a Man on his Back, Crossing the Niagara on a Tightrope, Seen from Clifton House Balcony, August 29, 1860, 1860 Engraving

Performers crossing highwire

Dr. Hammersleys Gymnasium, Chapman Place, Boston. Wood engraving, American
GYMNASTICS, 1853. Dr. Hammersleys Gymnasium, Chapman Place, Boston. Wood engraving, American

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"Tightrope: Balancing Life's Challenges with Grace and Courage" In the world of daredevils and dreamers, the tightrope walker stands tall. From the enchanting pages of Maurice Sendak's "BOOK WEEK, 1960. Hurray for books. " poster to the mesmerizing performances of Bird Millman, this captivating art form has captured our hearts. A Christmas card adorned with a clown fearlessly treading on a tightrope reminds us that even in moments of celebration, we must stay focused and steady. The smiling ringmaster in the circus ring points to acrobats juggling, walking the tightrope, and balancing on unicycles – a testament to their unwavering determination. On April 8th, 1981, actor Michael Crawford showcased his dedication as he worked out on the high wire. His commitment mirrored that of The Great Blondini who fearlessly walked above four lions without flinching. Yet not all tightrope walks end in applause; some lead down unexpected paths. In Warsaw during 1937, a man daringly traversed along a tramway cable only to be arrested and taken to a psychiatric hospital – an example that sometimes our pursuit of greatness can come at great costs. But amidst triumphs and tribulations alike lies an undeniable beauty within this perilous act, and is through these feats that we witness human potential pushed beyond limits - acrobats defying gravity with each step they take upon slender ropes suspended high above ground. Traveling back in time to Victorian London brings us face-to-face with Charles Blondin at Shoreditch - an icon whose name became synonymous with bravery and audacity. His legacy lives on as inspiration for those seeking balance between risk-taking and self-preservation. In life's grand performance where uncertainty dances hand-in-hand with courage, we find ourselves walking our own metaphorical tightropes daily.