Jumbo the Elephant
Item
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Title
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Jumbo the Elephant
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Circus Name
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The Union Circus
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Date
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May 8th, 1909
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Location of Event
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State Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Creator
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Emile Reed Low, collector; Frank Albert Kapp, collector
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Subject
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White men adorned in blackface and turbans guide a fake elephant down State Street
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Description
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One of several blackface performances in the Union Circus, "Jumbo" the elephant and his guide drew much attention from the watching crowds. In place of real exotic animals, students dressed in animal costumes. The elephant, dubbed "Jumbo" by the inscription, required two students to act as legs. The white man guiding Jumbo wears a turban and blackface.
The phrase "All Together Julia-" is inscribed under the second image in the Low scrapbook.
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Rights Holder
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Bentley Historical Library
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References
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Photograph, 1907-1911, Emile Reed Low photograph series, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
Photograph, 1907-1911, Frank Albert Kapp photograph series, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
