The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-24
RELICS AT NEW ORLEANS
Interesting Circus Bills and Costumes
Are Found

Are Found.
The remodelling of the Audubon The
atre at New Orleans has brought to light
many interesting relics of the old days.
before the war when the now neat and
modern playhouse was occupied by a cir
Gus. and of the latter days, when, under
the name of the Academy of Music, the
| sawdust ring gave place to stage and
the motley of the clown was replaced by
the sock and buckskin."
Just when the four walls which are
still standing were built no one connected
with the present management knows. but
1t was years ago. when New Orleans
was the Mecca of the rich planter, the
slave-dealer, the river gambler, and the
palatial river steamboat
1t was first used S a circus. That was
long before the day of the three-ring
performance; but happily, it was at a
time when II was a part of the social
duty of every gentleman TO get himself
and his friends into a condition to see at
least two performances if there was only
one. SO to the average portion of the
house the show was relatively as large
as the aggregations of today.
1t was at tina. time when John Van
Amburgh was the King Of Showmen,"
and among the debris that has sccumulat-
ed during the lapse of more than half
a century are many old-time stained show
bills that announce the coming Of the
greatest show on earth"
From a reading of these bills it would
seem that while there has been great
progress in nearly every other branch of
human industry, the art of the advertis-
ing agent has not been greatly advanced.
The attractions Of the show were set
forth with a verbosity and a wealth of
polysyllabe phraseology that cannot be
surpassed even at this day. when the
genius of the poet and the skill of the
prose-writer are made subservient TO a
commercial spirit, and are, employed to
sing the praises of everything from cir
cuses to soap and from ice-cream freezers
TO oil-buraers.
There are many of these old circus bills
that depict the intrepid lion tanner, the
ininitable clown. and the scantily clad
equestrienne gracefully poised on the tip
of her toes on one foot, as the calico
colored horse gallops around the ring.
1t must have been that some time in
the far past a circus met the fate OF
many modern companies. as in a long
used room was found complete circus
wardrobe. The motley robes of a some
time clown who was wont 70 amuse the
audience with his quips and jests lay
side by side with the long coat and high
bots of the ringmaster; and the we'll
shaped tights and abbreviated skirts Of
the aerial queen" of that day were piled
upon the green and tinselled costume
of the lion-tamer.
In these days OF the silent and deadly
automobile. the cause OF so many deaths
and divorces. one is apt TO think OF them
as a modern invention Of Edison. the
devil. or some other great inventor. but
among a box OF old cuts was found one
OF a genuine horseless carriage.
True. it does not present as neat and
ratty appearance as tho modern friend
OF the undertaken. but it is a self-propeM-
ing vehicle II looks somewhat like a
composite engine. but there IS no doubt
but that it was wonder Of its day And
while it was not built for speed. from
its appearance. it was as effective cause
OF runawsys as the more modern ma
chine.
A bunch OF hsndbills was unearthed
which announce that Mrs. Lydia Thomp-
son. the Queen OF Burlesque. viii close
her sixth year IN the United States and
her farewell season in bill that includes /
Blue Beard. The Mormon Maiden. The
Little Mulitsire. and, The Heather
Chineer How many SUBSEQUENT fa-a
well tours the charming Lydia made is
not 6 matter OF record.-INew Orleans
Times Democrat