Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Container:
Box 73, Folder 10
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
undated
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Series Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Series Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Description:
The modern circus has been a form of public entertainment since the late 18th century; President George Washington attended John Bill Ricketts' circus in Philadelphia in 1793. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the circus introduced towns and cities across the country to a wider world through the dazzling sights, sounds, and stunts of the circus artists.
With a history of more than 2 centuries, Circus Arts are considered a heritage and traditional art form; its varied skills have been passed down in families through generations. More recently, troupes and circus schools have been established to train new generations in the specific skills of circus arts. This traditional art form has finally received national recognition; the NEA awarded the aerialist Dolly Jacobs the National Heritage Fellowship in 2015. She is the first circus performer to receive this prestigious NHF award.
Circus members belong to a highly distinctive occupational group, including experts in any one of several clusters of both performance and material arts. Working and performing together, they create a spectacle which induces surprise and amazement in the spectators. It is not just the single acts, it is the entire production and business of the circus that was represented in the Circus Arts program of the 2017 Folklife Festival.
Circus performance arts have focused primarily on various aspects of physical movement, strength, and endurance. The artists work on the outer boundaries of the potential for the human body and physique. These performance arts encompass five main disciplines of circus arts: acrobatics, aerials, clowning, equilibristic, and object manipulation. For each of these performance categories, teams and individuals from around the country and around the world were invited to demonstrate and perform at the festival.
The material arts of the circus include aspects of painting and drawing, design, costuming, and tent making, as well as derivative arts inspired by the circus, such as toy making and miniatures. Workshops for modeling these skills were set up around the festival grounds to enable visitors to view the intricacies of their production. Panels also discussed the interplay between the material and performance arts.
In the Circus Science tent, demonstrations and discussions presented the synergies of science and skill in different circus art forms. The circus Cookhouse was set up to display the culinary skills of circus chefs. Multiple forums were scheduled where circus stories could be shared, including topics such as the social circus, circus families, the history of the circus in American culture, and the changing circus landscape. These forums provided opportunities for experiential exploration of the life and work of circus people, encompassing both the family and community structures in which they thrive.
The emerging concept of the social circus was everywhere on display during the Circus Arts program. The training opportunities focused on the future roles of these young actors beyond their personal growth. By removing themselves from the professional/commercial entertainment arena, they have become participants in social change. This new concept brings needed revitalization to the traditional circus arts in the same year that, coincidentally, the largest American circus, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus announced its closure due to business concerns.
This presentation on the National Mall spotlighted the occupational culture of Circus Arts at a critical moment in 2017. The Circus Arts program not only helped expand and elevate visitors' understanding and appreciation of a distinctive occupational group. It also championed the vitality of Circus Arts around the world, paving the way for future collaborations. It is in this exploration that myths can be displayed, tough questions can be raised, and the sharing of deep knowledge can take place between Festival participants and visitors.
Production Staff & Participants:
Production
Director: Sabrina Lynn Motley
Curator: Preston Scott
Co-curators: James Deutsch, Cristina Díaz-Carrera
Program Coordinator: Nichole Procopenko
Foodways Coordinator: Arnie Malin
D.C. Circus Day Coordinator: Marissa Walker
Interns: Isabella Barrengos, Maia Daniel, Miranda DiMase-Nordling, Taylor Heagler, Maris Jones, Michaela Podolny, Laura Yee
Lead Volunteer: Zakiya Williams
Advisors and Presenters: Hovey Burgess, David Carlyon, Janet M. Davis, LaVahn Hoh, Rodney Huey, Dominique Jando, Jennifer Lemmer Posey, Linda Simon, Deborah Walk, Matthew Wittmann
Big Top Artistic Director: Pedro Reis
Big Top Production Team: Henry Barragan, Jesse Cogswell, Joe D'Emilio, Luis S. Garcia, Leigh Ketchum, Devin Nee, Amanda Scarpa, Mark Wilson, Atos Zamperla
Participants
Stars of the CircusDolly Jacobs
Rafael Palacios
Ambra Zerbini Bauer
Joseph Dominic Bauer
Marina Luna
Ella Storme
Olesya Fedotova
Rony Gomez
Diosmani Aguero
Leosvel Almeida Gutierrez
Kenneth Kenny Raskin
Circus Arts ConservatoryBarry Lubin
Diosmani Aguero
Leosvel Almeida Gutierrez
Luna Storme
Olesya Fedotova
Karen Bell
Robin Eurich
Jaime Hernandez Carranza, student
Keith Phillips, student
Big Apple CircusRay Slizewski, circus cook
Bindlestiff Family Circus
Circus BellaCarlo Gentile
Gianluca "Gianni Magi" Gentile
Gioia Mei "Tatlo" Gentile
Giulia "Trixie Love" Gentile
Giuseppina "Guisi", Gentile
Orlene Gentile
Circus CenterSteve Smith
Circus CultureAmy Cohen
Circus Harmony
Circus JuventasDan Butler
Makenna Cook
Piper Gibbs
Sophie Bauer
Circus SmirkusJacqueline Davis
Jennifer Agans
Amity Stoddard
Cirque des VoixElla Storme
Marina Luna
Pedro Reis
Dolly Jacobs
Rafael Palacios
Matuni Vaiaoga
Barry Lubin
Clowns without Borders
Happenstance Theater
Hebei Golden Eagle Acrobatic Troupe
Listo Trapeze VolantMiguel Cáceres
Medical Clown Project
New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA)
Sailor Circus
School of Acrobatics and New Circus ArtsIan Jagel
Tyler Henry
UniverSoul CircusBone Breakers, Contorionists
Caribbean Dynasty Dancers
Chain Reaction, Acrobats
Daniel "Lucky" Malatsi, Ringmaster
Fresh the Clowns
Veronica Blair, Aerialist
Carlos Pinto Morales, Acrobatics
Sherrie Silver, Dancer
Wallenda Family TroupeAlessandro Wallenda
Tomas Wallenda
Wenatchee Youth CircusRebecca Geren
Jillian Davis
Lily-Ann Geren
Martin Talbot
Wise Fool New MexicoAmy Christian
Lisa Smith
Band of Jugglers
Unaffiliated PerformersPatrik Elmnert, Juggler
Craig Quat, Juggler
David Tetrault, Calliope
Jeffrey Raz, Clown
Kim Hawkins, Clown
Thom Wall, Juggler
Dominique Jando, Scholar
LaVahn Hoh
Sarah Chapman, Circus Cook
Tim Mack, Ringmaster
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Extent:
1 Sound recording (digital audio file)
Type:
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Date:
2018 July 08
Scope and Contents:
Amy Cohen (presenter); Amy Cohen; Craig Quat As the headquarters of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Sarasota, Florida, keeps circus history alive. New York is the home of iconic circuses such as Big Apple Circus and Pickle Family Circus. Pickle Family Circus even brought its performance skills west by founding the Circus Center in San Francisco.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research but is stored offsite. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark.
Collection Citation:
Donald J. Stubblebine Collection of Musical Theater and Motion Picture Music and Ephemera, 1866-2009, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
Reference copies for the audio discs do not exist. Use of these materials requires special arrangement with Archives Center staff.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Messmore and Damon Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
9 Items (photoprints, Silver albumen on paper, mounted on cards, approx. 4-1/4" x 2-1/2" (some smaller))
Container:
Box 1, Folder 14
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Tax stamps
Albumen prints
Cartes-de-visite
Date:
[ca. 1860-1871]
Scope and Contents:
Includes: "midgets" such as Tom Thumb (Charles S. Stratton) and "Tom Thumb Wedding Group" by Brady (3 items); "Charles W. Nestel, known as Commodore Foote"; "fat lady" published by Anthony (with 2-cent tax stamp on verso); a fat lady with family photographed by Fred. J. Mix; a midget woman by Chas. Eisenmann; an armless woman, photographer unidentified, but with handwritten note on verso: "So you perceive it's / really true / When hands are / lacking toes will do. / Ann E. Leak, / Born without arms, / Oct. 24, 1871. Georgia."
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
