Items

Advanced search

The Main Performance
In this image, multiple students in the Union Circus perform for an audience. The circus ring, located in Ferry Field, is surrounded by bleachers full of people. Students dress in blackface, clown attire, and as various animals.
Elephants at "Parade Rest"
Taken from the Kapp scrapbook, this image is inscribed with "Lyndon. 1133" and captioned with sentence "Elephants at 'Parade Rest'". It depicts the Union Circus parade, temporarily paused next to the university campus. White students clad in blackface perform various roles as either elephant trainer or indigenous person. Their costumes depict stereotypes of native peoples and of South Asians. Circus goers watch with interest from the sidelines. The Ann Arbor trolly tracks can be seen along the grass.
The Dragon
The image is inscribed "THE DRAGON". As part of the Union Circus' parade, students constructed a long dragon costume to walk down State Street. The guides, both white men, wear a potentially Asian-inspired outfit and some form of blackface. Though unclear, it's probable these students are mimicking Asian men.
Jumbo the Elephant
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.
Circus Guide Book
Found within the Stowell Stebbins scrapbook, this Circus Guide Book is inscribed with the name "Miss Catherine Clarke". To illustrate the upcoming events, a red clothed clown appears to burst through the guide's cover. An artistic signature (Yanning?) is printed in the illustration's corner. The contents of the book exhibit advertisements for local businesses, the "Minstrel and Vaudeville Show," and the Chicago tent company hired by the circus. Amongst the advertisements are descriptions of circus features, including clowns. An illustration of a clown in blackface accompanies the description.
My! Aren't those men dressed awfully?
This photo was found in the scrapbook of former University of Michigan student, Stowell Stebbins. The image was inscribed "PSI U. - DKE - "Peerade" Feature - Hobo Zobo Band" and "My! Aren't those men dressed awfully." Young boys watch from the sideline as men dressed as "hobos" walk down the unpaved street with marching band instruments. Some of these white men showcase fake stubble, while others appear to be painted in blackface. Horses, carriages, clowns, and knights are also part of the procession.