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ACROBATS AND MOUNTEBANKS.
BY
HUGUES LE ROUX & JULES GARNIER.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY
A. P. MORTON.
WITH 233 ILLUSTRATIONS.
[Illustration]
LONDON:
CHAPMAN AND HALL, LIMITED,
1890.
RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED,
LONDON AND BUNGAY.
[Illustration]
PREFACE.
_The Banquistes_ was the first title chosen for this book: it has
been altered for two reasons which appeared conclusive after some
consideration: the general public would have misunderstood it, and it
would certainly have wounded those interested in it, who would have
known what it meant.
But if we consult an etymological dictionary we shall find that the
word SALTIMBANQUE, which is more generally used than BANQUISTE, is
derived from a definite root: SALTIMBANQUE, _s. m._, from the Italian
word SALTIMBANCO: who vaults on a bench (Latin, SALTARE IN BANCO).
In Italian we also find the word CANTIMBANCO, a platform singer. I
must add that when, after tracing out the etymology of the words
SALTIMBANQUISTE and _banquiste_, we search for the origin of the word
_banker_, we shall find that the same radical, BANCO, is the root
of these three derivatives. In the old fairs two personages were
allowed to erect a small platform, a “banc”—the money-changer and the
acrobat. Perhaps the “banc” already served as a spring-board, giving
both the BANKER and the BANQUISTE a greater impetus in their leap;
perhaps we must even look back to the same date to find the exact
origin of the now common expression “LEVER LE PIED” (to abscond).
However this may be, after the perusal of this book, it will be
readily understood that the contemporary acrobat, established,
enriched, emerging into the middle classes, indignantly rejects a
slang term which apparently assigns to him the same origin as that
of our modern financiers. This intolerance is certainly not the only
surprise reserved for the reader of these pages. We claim to lead him
to the threshold of an unknown world.
Before commencing this work, which has absorbed us during at least
three years, I made a thorough investigation of the bibliographic and
monographic information now existing upon the _banquiste_ question,
and I came to the conclusion that no French or foreign author worth
attention or quotation had yet interested himself in this original
people. M. Houcke, the manager of the Hippodrome, had kindly placed
at our disposal a series of lithographs published in Germany.
But the text and the correctness of the work were so defective,
that the drawings were of no use to us. It was the same with the
_Saltimbanques_, which M. Escudier published at the close of the
Empire through Michel Lévy. The sole merit of M. Escudier’s work
lies in his discovery of an unknown subject. He made the mistake of
writing without information, picturesqueness, or philosophy, in the
light, insufferably trifling tone, which is common to most of the
publications of that epoch.
Since then, a conscientious writer, M. Dalsème, who is attached
to the acrobats, has published a more interesting account of them
entitled _Le Cirque à Pied et à Cheval_. The kindliness with which M.
Dalsème alludes in his book to the quotations which he has made from
my publications induces me to notice his work in return. And truly,
however unequal and incomplete his book may be, it is still the most
interesting work that has yet been seen upon a new subject.
This judgment places M. Edmund de Goncourt’s novel, the _Frères
Zemganno_, far above this level, and beyond any invidious comparison.
Although exact observation is the discipline of the novelist, M. de
Goncourt has declared that in this instance his chief object was to
write a symbolical book. His information was necessarily superficial.
Such as it was, I do not think that any one has now more reason than
ourselves for admiring the superior art and truth with which M. de
Goncourt has spoken of the circus, has formulated its philosophy,
depicted its passions, and divined those things that were concealed
from him. And I trust that the author of the _Frères Zemganno_ will
be one of the first to enjoy the novelty of this work.
The perusal of the so-called naturalistic novels has gradually
accustomed the public to a fairly strong dose of realism in books. A
number of young men have written in imitation of the great masters,
stories which, commonplace in themselves, are yet worth reading for
their conscientious observation of the “surroundings.” A thousand
inquiries upon contemporary life have been cleverly made, and
readers have examined these social records with much curiosity.
It appeared to me that the best part of these novels, the portions
most appreciated by the readers, were the facts of actual experience.
I therefore asked myself if the time had not come to present to the
public these facts free from all romantic fiction, in a form in which
the author only intervenes in order to arrange the incidents and to
point out the philosophy to be derived from them.
The success of this book will prove whether the attempt is premature,
or whether there will be any reason for a sequel.
This publication is really the monograph of an unknown people,
related by the pen and pencil. Its laws, its customs, its traditions,
its secrets, its hopes, have been seized, defined in spite of
reticence, evasions, wavering, and contradictory witnesses. It
describes the organization of the _banquiste_ people, the foundation
of its agencies, newspapers, and syndicates, it follows the
mountebank from his birth in the wandering caravan to his apotheosis
in the friezes of the circus. And at the same time it penetrates into
the stables to explain the secrets of the trainer, the tamer, and the
ring-master; into the booths to ask the clown for the story of his
adventures—and by what chance, having become a gentleman himself, he
one day met in the land of whims a gentleman who had become a clown!
I cannot close this preface without addressing the warmest thanks to
all those who have aided us in bringing this work to a successful
issue—to our willing correspondents from America, England, Germany,
and Russia. But whilst thus paying our debts, we must express our
special gratitude to the learned director of the photographic
department of the Salpêtrière, M. Albert Londe; to M. Guy de la
Brettonière, the well-known _circomane_; to amateurs like MM. de
Saint-Senoch, Bucquet, and Mathieu. The photographs which these
gentlemen kindly took for us enabled the draughtsman to represent the
acrobats in THOSE INTERMEDIATE POSES WHICH THE EYE NEVER SEIZES, and
which hitherto the most rapid instantaneous photographs have failed
in reproducing. A few figures will prove better than any words the
extreme rarity of these plates.
In the month of June, 1888, M. Houcke having given us an appointment
at the Hippodrome, made the clown, Auguste, and an artist of the
fixed bar, vault in our presence. The members of the Société
d’Excursions Française de Photographie, headed by its president,
were nearly all assembled. Fifty cameras were arranged like a
battery: each amateur had brought twelve glasses. After they had been
examined, M. Albert Londe sent us ten proofs, which alone out of six
hundred had been deemed worthy of being printed, and after a final
examination only seven plates were preserved by the painter. They
inspired the series of somersaults which are found in the chapter on
GYMNASTS.
HUGUES LE ROUX.
[Illustration]
ERRATA.
Page 78, line 7 from top, _for_ “bloated Vitelliuses”, _read_,
“bloated Vitellii”.
Page 206, line 3 from top, _for_ “Naet Salsbury”, _read_, “Nael
Salsbury”.
[Illustration]
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. Page
ORGANIZATION 1
CHAPTER II.
THE FAIR 37
CHAPTER III.
PERMANENT SHOWS OR ENTRESORTS 57
CHAPTER IV.
THE THEATRE BOOTH 81
CHAPTER V.
THE TRAINERS 107
CHAPTER VI.
THE TAMERS 133
CHAPTER VII.
THE EQUESTRIANS 159
CHAPTER VIII.
THE HIPPODROME 183
CHAPTER IX.
THE EQUILIBRISTS 209
CHAPTER X.
THE GYMNASTS 241
CHAPTER XI.
THE CLOWNS 277
CHAPTER XII.
THE PRIVATE CIRCUS 307
INDEX. 333
[Illustration]
[p001] [Illustration]
CHAPTER I.
ORGANIZATION.
Parisians live in scandalous ignorance of the beings who surround
them and of the world in which they move. Although fond of curious
entertainments, they have never made any serious inquiries about the
origin, the private life, or the terms of enlistment of the skilful
artists whom they applaud in the circus, the theatre-concert, or the
playhouse. I have often heard persons who considered themselves well
informed, and who spoke with much reserve and many hints of deeper
knowledge, assert that secret manufactures of monstrosities exist
in the world, training schools for acrobats, registry offices for
mountebanks; and that by diligent search, with a little discreet
assistance from the police, one might discover branches of these
picturesque establishments in the thieves’ quarters of old Paris.
[p002]
This story is enough to frighten children, but it must be allowed
to pass away with the dust of other fabrications destroyed by time,
whilst you may rely upon the accuracy of the information contained in
this book; its sole ambition is to enlighten you on this mysterious
subject by telling you the truth about it.
The collection of all these facts has been a work of time. The
mountebank is too jealous of his freedom to talk openly to every
one that approaches him. The same patience which travellers use in
their relations with savages must be employed before one can hope
for any intimacy with this people, who are still as much scattered,
as varied, as strangely mixed, as vagabond, as their ancestors,
the gipsies, who, guitar on back, hoop in hand, their black hair
encircled with a copper diadem, traversed the Middle Ages, protected
from the hatred of the lower classes and the cruelty of the great by
the talisman of superstitious terror.
This tribe, recruited from every nation and every type, is called, in
its particular _argot_, the _banque_;[1] there is the _grande banque_
and the _petite banque_: its members are called _banquistes_.
Qualities transmitted through many generations, natural selection
always tending in the same direction—of strength and dexterity—have,
in course of time, endowed this [p003] international people with
special characteristics. With regard to the superior instincts,
they possess a taste for adventure, wonderful facility in acquiring
languages, in assimilating every variety of civilization, and a
strange amalgamation of qualities, which would seem incompatible with
each other—Italian pliancy, Anglo-Saxon coolness, German tenacity.
I do not quote the influence of French characteristics in the
fabrication of these free citizens of the world: the soil of France
is so dear to her children that, even if they tempt the glory and
perils of an acrobat’s life, they rarely leave their native land.
According to statistics, Frenchmen form a proportion of but five per
cent, in the tribe of _banquistes_ who travel round the world. But
these mountebanks are not so numerous as one might imagine; in all
there are only a few thousands. But earth contains no guests more
free than these men, whom the poet Theodore de Banville greets as
the “brothers of the birds, the inhabitants of the ideal city of
Aristophanes.” Lords of their own will and time, they obey no laws
except the terms of their voluntary engagements. They fly from war,
pestilence, and ruin. When the heavens darken, they strap up their
trunks, go on board a steamer and journey to other countries where
gaiety and gold are to be found.
The sole disturbance in these careless lives is the question of
engagements. The skill with which they have averted the difficulties,
which their preference for a nomad life might have produced in their
business, is a very remarkable example of that practical sense which
constant travelling develops in the least cultivated individual.
Dispersed throughout the four quarters of the world, the [p004]
_banquistes_ have placed themselves in perpetual communication with,
first, managers and _impresarii_, and then with their comrades, by
means of a certain number of agencies and newspapers belonging to
their corporation.
[Illustration: THE ERA]
The eldest of these publications is _The Era_, published in London in
English. _The Era_, now edited by Edward Ledger, was started in 1837.
It is a kind of guide-book, consisting of twenty-four pages, each
containing six columns, in the usual shape of an English newspaper;
the price is sixpence a copy. In the title the royal escutcheon,
supported by the lion and the unicorn, separates the two words _The_
and _Era_. [p005]
Half the newspaper is filled with addresses of this kind—
Miss FLORENCE WEST.
Address:
10 Elm Tree Road, N.W.
Miss MINNIE BELL.
Disengaged.
Crystal Palace.
All these addresses are arranged in alphabetical order. A proprietor
can at once discover where the “novelty” with whom he proposes to
communicate is temporarily staying.
The _Era_ also serves as a letter-box to all its subscribers. A
special department is open under this heading:
THE _ERA_ LETTER-BOX.
Then follows, arranged in columns, an alphabetical list of the
persons for whom a note has been sent to the newspaper office.
_Adeson, M._
_Atleyn, Madame._
_Barry, Miss Helen._
_Chelli, Miss Erminia_, &c.
The remainder of the _Era_ is consecrated to artistically-written
accounts of all the new theatrical performances going on in the
world, and naturally to offers of employment and advertisements for
engagements.
The most extraordinary fancies are allowed free play in the
compilation and typographical arrangement of these advertisements.
It is a question of attracting notice at [p006] any price. A clever
artist unhesitatingly pays for a whole column, in which horizontally,
diagonally, as a cross, or an X, he repeats his own name and
acquirements three or four hundred times.
I quote the following specimens, taken at random from the columns of
the _Era_:
A YOUNG MAN, completely disarticulated, wishes to enter into an
engagement with a travelling troupe.
This artist can be described in the placards either as the
_india-rubber man_ or the _serpent man_. He undertakes the monkey
parts in pantomimes.
MISS MAGGIE VIOLETTE (fixed bars) is free from any engagement after
Christmas.
A FATHER offers to managers a young girl, fourteen years old, who
has only one eye, placed above the nose, and one ear on the shoulder.
[Illustration: THE NEW YORK MIRROR]
The _Era_ has an American rival also published in English, _The New
York Mirror_. This newspaper has only one advantage over the _Era_:
it publishes portraits.
[Illustration: CENTRAL-ORGAN DER CIRCUS VARIETÉ-UND
SPECIALITATEN-BUHNEN SOWIE CONCERT-ETABBLISSEMENTS,-
DER SCHAUSTTELLER UND REISENDEN GESCHAFTE.] [p007]
[Illustration: M. C. KRAUSS]
Germany, however, possesses two newspapers for the _banquistes_:
one, under a French title, _La Revue_; the other, which is far the
most important, is called _Der Artist_. The complete sub-title is:
_Central-Organ zur Vermittlung des Verkehrs zwischen Directoren
und Künstlern der Circus, Varietebühnen, reisenden Theater und
Schaustellungen_. This paper is printed at Düsseldorf; M. C. Krauss
is the chief editor.
_Der Artist_ has been established six years. It looks like a weekly
review of twenty leaves, printed in three columns. A woodcut, which
fills the frontispiece and all the left side of the first page,
represents various scenes from the circus [p008] and theatres:
“shootists” breaking bottles, horses leaping over bars, pretty
equestrians on their highly-trained steeds, tame lions, dwarfs,
giants, clowns,—all the attractions of the circus and fair.
Here, as in the _Era_, we find long alphabetical enumerations of
travelling and stationary establishments and lists of addresses of
artists engaged or disengaged. These advertisements are nearly all
compiled in an extraordinary gibberish, which far surpasses the
ingenuity of the “sabir”: here is a specimen of them, the first I met
with. It is a curious mixture of French, English, Latin, Italian, and
German words:
MISS ADRIENNE ANCIOU, la reine de l’air, la plus grande Équilibriste
aérienne de l’Époque,—Nec plus ultra—senza Rival, frei ab August
1888, 28 East 4. Str. New York.
It is very remarkable that English and American puffing has quite
disappeared here. The earnestness and application of the German
character are betrayed even in the typographical arrangement of
this newspaper for acrobats. It is as clearly and carefully printed
as a catalogue of the Leipzic libraries. The biographical notices,
announcements of death, column of accidents, the _Varietebühnen_
are compiled with scrupulous care and exactitude. This curious
publication even finds space for literature, and the last number of
the _Artist_ published as a supplement _Damons Walten_, a novel, by
Otto von Ellendorf. It is easy to appreciate the services which these
and similar newspapers are able to confer upon the _banquistes_.
[Illustration: _Der Artist_, 4. Decémber 1887.]
“To tell the truth,” one of the confraternity said to me one
[p010] day, “in the whole world we have no other home but the little
pigeon-hole of advertisements, where those who know us go and ask
for news of us, where they learn the history of our engagements, our
successes, our accidents, our marriage, the birth of our children, or
the tidings of our death.”
Between the artist who seeks for an engagement and the manager always
on the look out for an extraordinary “novelty,” a third person
necessarily intervenes, the middleman, who arises everywhere between
buyer and seller.
And, in fact, at the present time all the principal cities of the
world have their agents for performing artists of every kind. These
personages are very important, and make large profits. Those best
known on the Continent are Messrs. Paravicini and Warner, of London;
Hitzig and Wulff, of Berlin; Wild, of Vienna; Rosinsky, of Paris;
Nael Salsbury, of New York, who, during the Exhibition of 1889, has
shown the Parisians the savage life of the “Wild West,” transported
to Paris in the persons of the celebrated Buffalo-Bill and his
Indians.
The history of the Rosinsky agency is worth narration, for it is now
so flourishing that it has replaced, to the advantage of Paris, the
engagement market which formerly existed in London.
You can imagine that a man would not open an agency of this kind
without first passing through many vicissitudes, and, in fact, R.
Rosinsky has had a most checkered life.
He first acquired a taste for the profession through frequenting
Barnum’s show in the United States. He has been manager of several
American troupes, and proprietor of [p011] a theatre, alternately at
St. Louis de Missouri and New York. His affairs prospered, and, with
the aid of a partner, Rosinsky opened a circus, which he intended to
run during the whole time that the Exhibition at Cincinnati was open,
when an unforeseen accident ruined him.
[Illustration: R. ROSINSKY.]
One evening his partner’s son, a young man twenty-five years old, but
deaf and dumb, almost a brute, yet robust and dangerous, attempted
to force an entrance into the dressing-room of an equestrian, who
was just changing her dress after rehearsal. A policeman was quickly
sent for. The deaf-mute drew a revolver from his pocket, fired at the
policeman, and killed him on the spot.
The consequences of this murder may be easily guessed; [p012] the
circus was closed. R. Rosinsky was ruined, and he recommenced his
wanderings.
[Illustration: M. SARI.
Founder of the Folies-Bergères.]
A few months later the famous Brigham Young invited him to undertake
the management of the Theatre of the Mormons. I still have a copy of
the newspaper—_The Salt Lake Daily Herald_—in which is found dated
“Saturday morning, May 22, 1875,” an advertisement thus worded:
_Salt Lake Theatre_
R. Rosinsky Manager
GRAND MATINÉE THIS EVENING
The Wonderful
JACKLEY FAMILY.
Acrobats and Gymnasts.
Engaged [p013] during the course of the same year by Sari, the
founder of the Folies Bergères, R. Rosinsky crossed the sea with the
Jackley Family.
He was immediately struck by the small number of “stars” known in
Paris, and, in order to attract them, he founded an agency for
artists in 1875. His business has increased so rapidly that the
Rosinsky agency is now in communication with correspondents scattered
through all the great cities of Europe and the world. One fact is
enough to prove the extent of this business. The annual postal
expenses of the firm exceed 10,000 francs (£400).
An agent of this kind receives 10 per cent, upon every engagement
which he arranges. To prevent any disputes in collecting this fee a
clause is inserted in the agreements to the effect that the agent’s
percentage is to be deducted by the manager himself from the salary
remitted to the artist at the end of the first month, and these
salaries are, sometimes, very considerable.
In order to compare the amount formerly paid to circus artists with
the sums now received by them, I have consulted an old manuscript
from the archives of M. Franconi, which bears the title of _Registre
personnel du Cirque_, and dates back for fifty years.
We find that in 1838 the equestrians Auriol, Lalanne the elder,
Lalanne (Pierre), Lalanne (Paul), Lalanne (Joseph), were paid, the
first-named 500 francs (£20), the others 250 francs _per fortnight_.
The star equestrian, Mdlle. Lucie Linski, then received 300 francs,
her companions 100, 50, and even 25 francs per fortnight. [p015]
[Illustration: M. VICTOR FRANCONI.]
[Illustration: P. T. BARNUM.]
Four years later, in 1842, Auriol, whose success evidently increased,
found his salary doubled. He received 1,000 francs per fortnight,
or 2,000 francs per month, and the equestrian, Mdlle. Lilianne, 700
francs. Now, a good pad equestrian often receives 2,000 francs per
month; a vaulting clown 1,500 francs; a family of acrobats 3,000 or
4,000 francs; and a single artist, whose performance is extraordinary
and unusual, receives from 700 to 7,000 francs. Even these prices
have been surpassed at times. Dr. Carver, the great “shootist,” was
paid 15,000 francs a month at the Folies Bergères. Léotard, at his
_début_, signed engagements for six months, and received 100,000
francs. The two brothers Lockhart, whom the Rosinsky agency had sent
to India as [p016] clowns, returned as elephant-trainers, and now
each of them, with his beast, earns about 70,000 francs per annum.
The enumeration of these sums tends, I admit, to only one object—to
fill the public with respect, and make it understand that a good
acrobat is, in his own line, quite as exceptional a being as, for
instance, M. Renan is in his. I intentionally name the learned
historian in preference to many other great intellects, because, in
his wisdom, he is certainly convinced that acrobatic feats are not
less useful than exegesis in the recreation of mankind.
I was led a short time ago, _à propos_ of the manager Rosinsky, to
mention Barnum—P. T. Barnum, the legendary man whose name, in every
language spoken upon the surface of the globe, serves as an amplified
superlative to the positive _impresario_.
To write a book upon the _banquistes_ and omit to celebrate Barnum in
it would be equivalent to erasing the venerated name of the Prophet
from a commentary on the Koran.
Let us, therefore, now recall the chief events in the biography
of Phineas Taylor Barnum. The man who has converted the “American
Circus” into a national institution of the New World was born in 1810
in the village of Bethel in Connecticut.
He is, therefore, now in his eightieth year. I refer those readers
who may be curious about the details of this adventurous life to a
book which P. T. Barnum himself wrote for the edification of his
admirers (_The Life of P. T. Barnum_: New York, 1885), and also to
another work, which was published simultaneously in Paris and New
York in 1865, under the title of _Les Blagues de L’Univers_. [p017]
I pass over the exodus of the youthful ploughboy who quitted the
farm to become the editor of a newspaper, and will only dwell upon
the patriarch, who is ending his life in the village of Bridgeport
(Conn.) with all the splendour of the setting sun. There, as far as
eye can reach, Barnum’s gaze rests upon his own property only. To
him belong the village, farms, and workshops, the 1,200 workmen, who
labour incessantly, perfecting the materials of the circus, which
special trains convey through the American continent, perpetually
travelling from one ocean to the other.
[Illustration: J. A. BAILLY.
Barnum’s partner and son-in-law.]
The law endeavoured to oppose the free passage of these trains over
the public railroads. Barnum, _through economy_, at [p018] once
proposed to construct new lines for his private use by the side of
those already existing. Should the idea of visiting Europe during
the Paris Exhibition occur to him, he would wish to acquire the
_Great Eastern_ to carry his apparatus, men and animals. The tent
which covers his circus is alone worth 30,000 francs (£1,200); it is
twice as large as the Hippodrome in Paris, and can shelter 15,000
spectators. In one day it can be erected, a performance given, and
the journey renewed. The daily receipts vary between 40,000 and
60,000 francs.
[Illustration: ROWE & ATHOL]
Barnum’s cashiers, although installed in cars containing tills and
writing-tables, have no time to keep any books. The daily receipts
are forwarded uncounted to Bridgeport in sealed barrels, which are
really measures of capacity for gold, silver, and copper coin. The
accounts are all kept at Bridgeport. [p019]
A crowd of parasites follows Barnum on his travels and dwells round
his tent. A town springs up in a few hours; people throng to it from
fifty miles round. But then the arrival of the _impresario_ king has
been preceded for some months by immense descriptive placards posted
in the localities through which his troupe would pass.
[Illustration: The PhoiFes]
One anecdote taken from a thousand is a good example of the
advantages which Barnum has derived from advertisements.
Some years ago a negro, having obtained a reward as a violinist at
the Paris Conservatoire of Music, Barnum concluded an engagement
with him by telegram for one year at a salary of 40,000 dollars. The
walls of New York were [p020] then immediately covered with placards
depicting a negro playing the violin, but without any descriptive
words attached to the picture.
His _virtuoso_ arrived, and Barnum hastened to produce him. The
Yankees came, listened, applauded, but did not send their friends.
What could Barnum do to rouse their dormant curiosity? He told his
workmen to paste the figure of the negro upside down. This ingenious
device was crowned with success. Perhaps the audience who flocked to
hear him during three consecutive years fancied that a negro would be
exhibited to them—a laureate from the Paris Conservatoire, who would
play the violin whilst balanced on his head. Whatever their idea
may have been, they went in millions; and this anecdote is not less
characteristic of the peculiar stamp of American curiosity than of
Barnum’s genius for puffing.
It is also an interesting proof of the share which advertisements
play in the success of an entertainment. The artist world has
learnt to appreciate the extraordinary effect of these coloured
placards, and willingly spends a large sum of money in procuring the
most effective designs; and these advertisements—of which I have
reproduced a few of the most typical—are so varied and so brilliant
that they might fairly dazzle collectors. The finest are issued by
the firms of David Allen and Sons of Belfast, Mr. Barlow of Glasgow,
Adolphe Friedlander of Hamburg, and Charles and Emile Levy of Paris.
This is the general outline of the organization: of the _banquistes_,
who travel round the world without a country and without home ties.
[p021]
[Illustration: CHAMPS ELYSÉES CIRQUE D’ÉTÉ TOUS LES SOIRS] [p022]
I must now speak of a less adventurous mountebank—the Frenchman, who
never willingly travels either by railroad or steamer, and who for
centuries—for generations—has contentedly jogged along in a caravan
from one fair to another, making in this way his eternal tour of
France.
[Illustration: Mr. E. ELLEVANTIEMIE
EQUILIBRIST]
The origin of all these troupes of mountebanks, of every [p023] one
of these travelling shows, is lost in the mist of ages. At what epoch
were founded the _Théâtre Vivien_, the _Théâtre de Saint-Antoine_,
the theatres of the _Enfer_ and of the _Physicien Delisle_? In
what century did Mouza-ba-baloued first turn his prophetic wheel
under the awning of his caravan? I assure you that it is beyond the
recollections of grandchildren or of their grandfathers. At all
events, it is certain that from our birth we feel some curiosity
mingled with a delicious dread of the mountebank, the picturesque
wanderer, who passes our home at the same date in every year—like the
migratory birds—who disappears one morning, without any one knowing
where he has gone, or even with any certainty where he has come
from; an ambiguous individual whom travellers on the high road pass
as evening falls, encamped on the wayside, his kettle installed on
a heap of stones, his thin steed munching the dusty grass, his half
naked children wandering round the caravan, whilst the light shining
through the little red curtains in the window throws the semblance of
a plash of blood on the road.
[Illustration: LE VOYAGEUR FORAIN Du 15 au 29 Février 1888
Organe de la Chambre Syndicale des Voyageurs Forains]
This is the rear-guard, the voluntary laggard, the hermit, who
wishes to remain alone until the end. He has not changed any of the
customs of his ancestors, preferring to [p024] separate from his
comrades rather than conform to new ways. His comrades have therefore
renounced him. They will not drag such miscreants in their rear, now
that they form a corporation with charters and statutes publicly
decreed.
[Illustration: L’UNION MUTUELLE Dimanche 12 Février 1883
Organe Officiel de tous les Industriels et Artistes Forains
PARAISSANT LE DIMANCHE]
At the present moment the showmen’s world, like all other societies
composed of rich and poor, is divided into two great disputing
parties. Each of these divisions has its own newspaper, its
representatives, the managers of its interests, its public opposition
meetings. On one side you will find a group of all the important
men in the profession, the proprietors of large establishments—who
have serious interests to defend. These gentlemen are the anxious
guardians of wealth, amassed with much trouble and labour. The
authorities, who wish for the success of the “local fairs,” show
special favour to these influential _banquistes_ in the allotment
of space. From this undue preference, extraordinary hatred, savage
jealousy, result on the part of the smaller folk, whose sole fortune
consists of one van, the sellers of _gaufres_ and fried potatoes, the
owners of swings and rifle saloons, lotteries, shows, and halls of
mystery.
The less important men were the first to organize [p025] themselves.
This is already the sixth year of publication of the _Voyageur
Forain_,[2] the organ of the syndical chamber of _forain_ travellers,
a fortnightly newspaper, published on the 1st and 15th of each month.
A notice, always placed above the leading article, informs the
readers that “the syndical chamber of _forain_ travellers admits into
its ranks all those, whether rich or poor, who honourably earn their
livelihood by instructing or amusing the public, or by retail trade.”
[Illustration: M. HOUCKE.
Manager of the Hippodrome.]
The office of this picturesque newspaper is situated in the [p026]
Boulevard Henri IV., at the end of a courtyard, above a stable. There
I found an extraordinary Bohemian smoking a short pipe, lengthened
by a quill, who in himself formed the whole editorial staff of
the _Voyageur Forain_. This man of letters edits the notices of
the Fairs, the Correspondence, and all the technical part of the
newspaper. The rest of the number is composed of articles by the
members of the syndical council. They consist chiefly of diatribes,
directed against the party of “bourgeois,” who form a separate band,
written in forcible language, which renders them most amusing to any
one interested in French slang.
The “bourgeois,” whose names I find at the head of the first number
of the newspaper of the _Union mutuelle_, dated May 8, 1887, were, at
the time when the society was instituted:
President: M. François Bidel, manager-proprietor of a large
zoological establishment, _Chevalier de la Valeur civile Italienne_.
Vice-presidents: M. J. B. Revest, manufacturer, part-proprietor:
boats (sea on land); M. Ferdinand Corvi, proprietor and manager of a
(miniature) circus.
I will skip the treasurers and directors, and quote part of the
address given to the subscribers to the _Union mutuelle_ in the
programme number:
In France, men have fallen into the habit of regarding the _forain_
as a being apart, at the outside worthy of pity.
However, if we consult our memoirs we shall find that in all ages
and in every place great appreciation has been shown for the high
moral qualities of this population, which, it is true, leads a
peculiar existence, but one which is very honest and perfectly
honourable.
Are not these men clever, who group as by magic whole cities within
the city itself—cities of pleasure, filled with attractions of every
kind, which the [p027] public hasten to applaud and admire? Are
they not men of progress, these showmen, whose every trick is copied
and appropriated in our great administrations?
In a word, are they not the pioneers of civilization and comfort?
Then why do they appear forsaken? Because they exist only as
individuals; because they considered it impossible to obtain
cohesion amongst themselves; because, in short, they regarded the
creation of a great association as impracticable. The generous
assistance of M. Bidel has proved adequate to lead this important
phalange. Resolutely placing himself at the head of his profession,
he said:
“Union is possible; let us unite!”
Now, the _Union mutuelle_, which was only founded on the 29th
April, 1887, is settled in fine offices in the Rue de Châteaudun.
The association is rich. Its members have the right to apply to the
superannuation fund at the age of fifty if they have belonged to it
for ten years. M. Bidel looks forward to the day when, in order to
invest their funds, these restless wanderers over the highways of the
world will buy some “house property” in Paris. The _Union mutuelle_
will have tenants of its own. The showmen will be estate owners in
Paris. And this hope, which will be realized in a short time, gives
the greatest delight to M. Bidel and his colleagues, particularly
when they recall the modest origin of the association, the meetings
held at the Gobelins, in the menagerie even, where the voices of the
orators were drowned at intervals by the roaring of the wild beasts.
Every month the _Union mutuelle_ holds a plenary meeting, at which
the managers submit their accounts to the members. Every Wednesday
the managing committee meets to settle the business of the week.
[Illustration: CHADWICK.]
The correspondence is voluminous. Every provincial member of the
society who has had to apply to a local [p028] mayor for a license,
or to obtain justice, addresses himself to the managing committee
to solicit its support, and in this way the showman commands the
satisfaction of his claim, which might otherwise have been refused.
The interest which the _Union mutuelle_ takes in his affairs is the
highest recommendation he can have; for it is well known that no one
can belong to the society unless his judicial record is perfectly
clear. One may learn many curious things by reading the _Voyageur
forain_ and the _Union mutuelle_. No one suspects, for instance, that
the order of the fairs is [p029] organized in an almost unvarying
routine, that has existed for many centuries, and that it is arranged
so as to diminish as much as possible the expenses of travelling for
the showmen.
In each number of the newspaper you will find the following
intelligence—_Indicateur des Foires du Mois_ (Guide to the Fairs held
this Month). Then follows an alphabetical list of the departments,
with all the items of useful information quoted in this way:—
_Ain._—1 day: the 2nd, Trévouz, pop. 2,635; the 7th, Marboz, pop.
2,556; the 13th, Bagé-le-Châtel, pop. 727; the 18th, Montreval, pop.
1,475. 2 days: the 22nd, Lagnieu.
Another department, the _Review of Fairs and Fêtes_, gives exact
information to the subscribers of the paper respecting the chances
of a good sale, and the disadvantages of a useless removal. The
following account of the fair at Sigean is a specimen of these
articles:—
“THE FAIR AT SIGEAN (November 6th).
“A small town, 21 kilomètres from Narbonne by road (a railway to La
Nouvelle, 4 kilometres). Business has been extremely bad here, owing
to the unlucky weather and the total ruin of the country. A few
years ago this was one of the most popular fairs amongst showmen,
for the inhabitants are fond of amusement and most sympathetic
towards strangers. Space is exceedingly dear, the price being fixed
by the municipality at 25 centimes the square mètre per diem. It is
true that some reductions are granted on this price, but it is still
much too high.
“The following establishments were present: M. Bétriou, Museum of
Progress, and M. Bracco, theatre of performing seals, Place de la
Mairie. In the Rue de Perpignan; Lemaître, mechanical museum; two
rifle-saloons; Cloffulia, decapitation; Mercadier, roundabout; a
bear-fight; Gras Chognon, panorama; lottery bazaars, massacres, and
above all, gambling booths, which enjoy great liberty here, if they
can pay well. We saw one roulette-table which paid 200 frs. for two
days, and others in the cafés which paid the [p030] landlord 400
frs. for a single table. This is to be regretted—for such toleration
to gambling is the ruin of all good and honest showmen.”
[Illustration: 251, Rue Saint-Honoré, 251
NOUVEAU CIRQUE]
These papers also contain carefully edited accounts of foreign fairs,
such as the following letter sent to the _Voyageur forain_ from
Karkhoff (Russia):—
“Those of our comrades who do not suffer from cold in the eyes, and
are not afraid of being frozen, could try their luck at Karkhoff,
where it is only 17 degrees below zero, with 70 centimètres of snow;
our friend and correspondent gives us some interesting details about
the customs of the showmen and people in Russia: thus in most of
the cities it is not unusual to see several shows installed in one
booth; for instance, a complete museum of anatomical figures and
groups, a panorama, monkeys, crocodiles, giants, dwarfs, and armless
women, all shown for 20 kopecks, or fivepence, children and soldiers
half-price; no allusion is made to the nurses, or to the treating
propensities of Russian soldiers in love.
“These booths remain in the same town for two or three months at a
time; this year an exhibition was held at Karkhoff, which preceded
the fair, and lasted a fortnight; it consisted of a large museum, a
glass-spinner, a large circus, a fine menagerie, a monkey theatre,
and an aquarium, besides the town [p031] theatre; and all these
entertainments were established in a city which only contains 20,000
inhabitants, that is to say, there were too many attractions for so
few people, and no one made any profits; the lower classes are not
worth counting, they devote themselves to the consumption of brandy
which brutalizes them; and only the nobility, the middle classes and
the Jews, who are rather bad than good, can be relied upon. It is
impossible to open anything before noon on Sundays or Thursdays and,
we might add, that the Russian public is utterly _blasé_, for it has
seen nearly every variety of attraction. Still, it is very fond of
marionettes, and the owner of a puppet-theatre, willing to risk a
journey in this country, would soon make his fortune; rents are very
dear but living is cheap, with the exception of wine.”
[Illustration: NOUVEAU CIRQUE
Tous les Soirs a 8
· MATINEES ·
Jeudis et Dimanches a 2]
The third page of both the _Union mutuelle_ and the _Voyageur
forain_ is filled with advertisements. As usual, these columns are
particularly amusing. I need scarcely explain that the following
cuttings have been made almost at hazard, and that I have not altered
one word of them:— [p032]
UNRIVALLED OPPORTUNITY.
FOR SALE (on account of family arrangements) a LARGE THEATRE OF
PERFORMING MONKEYS AND LEARNED DOGS, WITH A MINIATURE CIRCUS,
consisting of a PERFECTLY NEW TENT, 28 MÈTRES BY 11 M. 40 C.; CHAIRS
AND BENCHES FOR 800 PEOPLE, provided with carpets of good quality,
the interior well lined with very good carpets, the ceiling of
good canvas, the scenery oil-painted and richly decorated; for the
outside there is a pretty frontage with a show gallery, ornamented
with pictures. The whole has only been in use for one year, and has
been well taken care of; in short, it is all new.—5 VANS (or without
vans), 1 caravan, 1 van for monkeys, also contains a kitchen; 1
waggon carrying 10,000 kilog., 1 car carrying 15,000 kilog., 1 van
for elephants, horses, goats, sheep, dogs, and other animals.—1
ELEPHANT (usual tricks) rides on a velocipede, is worth 15,000
frs.; 6 WELL-TRAINED DWARF-PONIES; 4 SHEEP (a performance never yet
shown); 15 MONKEYS and 12 DOGS, equally well trained.—All these
animals are trained and guaranteed, and the purchaser can be taught
how to make them perform in a fortnight.—The proprietor of this
important establishment is engaged for the winter season in Vienna
(Austria).—_Orpheum._ The whole will be sold for 40,000 frs. [p033]
[Illustration: M. MENGAL.]
On the manufacturers’ side:—
FOR SALE AN ESTABLISHMENT FOR FRIED POTATOES, entirely new; glass
frontage, 8 mètres; depth, 6 mètres; 8 boxes, with a beautiful
Belgian stove with 4 frying-holes; 4 saucepans; a cutting machine;
gaufre irons; fritter moulds; beer till, &c., &c. The booth is
all in panels, with planks, waggon, caravan, and a second caravan
5 mètres long, containing two rooms; advantageous terms, with or
without carriages. Address to the office of this newspaper.
FOR SALE a Sweetmeat Business, founded in 1848, well known on the
road, possessing an excellent connection. Price 12,000 frs., 10,000
to be paid, and easy terms for the remainder. Business: 35,000 frs.
per annum. 156–3906.
Subjects for tamers:
FOR SALE a very large Lioness from the Atlas, 4 years old, works
well and is very gentle; Lioness, of the same race, 20 months old,
very gentle; Leopard, Panther, Ocelot, White Bears from Canada,
Russia, and Malay; large African Monkeys, Baboon, Red-backed Pavion,
Monk, Pelicans for shows. Moderate prices.
Lastly in the series of monstrosities:—
FOR SALE ON ACCOUNT OF HEALTH, magnificent opportunity, a superb
phenomena of remarkable beauty, elegant, clean, very gentle, at
liberty, admired by the whole world. The booth is also very elegant.
The whole to be sold on advantageous terms. 87–3290.
The fourth page is filled with advertisements of manufactures—of
barrel organs, petroleum lamps, awnings, roundabouts, decorated
capitals for riding schools and booths; of glass and china, Chinese
umbrellas, and waterproof canvas; of skies, curtains, harness,
nose-bags, hobby-horses, mermaids, cars, biscuits, gaufres,
sugar-sticks, sweetmeats: of everything that makes a noise, shines or
sparkles; that swings or turns; that can be eaten or produces a great
effect. And as usual these advertisements amuse us, for we outsiders
cannot bring ourselves to look upon those industries which tend
[p034] only to procure objects of amusement for us, in any serious
light.
[Illustration: AGOUST.
Manager of the Nouveau Cirque.]
Most of these articles are manufactured in Germany. The oldest
manufactory of roundabouts of wooden horses is in Moblitz in
Saxe-Weimar, another is in Thuringia. Still, there are a few French
manufacturers in the field, and their productions, although a little
dearer than the German ones, are much appreciated by showmen, for the
good taste which distinguishes them. M. D———, de Vic Bigorre, (Hautes
Pyrénées,) a celebrated curtain and scene-painter, is one of these
artists. The following notice is added to all his advertisements—
“NOTE.—Himself a child of the fair, M. D——— is well acquainted with
the necessities and style of picture required by each individual,
and by this title, he recommends his work to all the children of the
_banque_.” [p035]
Another is a specialist for the vans used for carrying plant,
dentists’ cars, breaks for driving parties, caravans, &c.
I saw one of these model caravans at the Fair du Trône; it contained
dining and drawing-rooms, a bedroom and servant’s room. Through
the open window of the drawing-room, I heard the refrain of one
of Métra’s waltzes. I went nearer and saw that the musician was a
charming young girl, wearing a plush dressing-gown, conscientiously
practising the piano.
I leave you with this vision of middle-class prosperity. I hope it
will correct, as far as may be, the very false ideas which hitherto
you may have cherished about _banquistes_ and their wandering lives.
[Illustration: M. NAEL SALSBURY.]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] _Grande banque_ is a general term for large shows and theatres
in a fair.
_Petite banque_ is used for small shows, such as “fatma,” giants, &c.
_Banquistes_ includes all persons showing or performing on a fair
ground, circus, or variety entertainment.
I am indebted to Mr. John Holden, the owner of the popular _Palais
des Fantocche_, for these definitions: there do not appear to be any
equivalent words in English slang.—NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR.
[2] _Forain_ is the cant word used for all merchants with their
wares who sell in fairs, but it is also applied generally to all
owners of travelling shows and amusements. See Chapter II., page 37.
[Illustration]
[p037] [Illustration]