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Photo, Print, Drawing Miss Baba the Circus Elephant. Elefantessa Miss Baba

About this Item

Title

  • Miss Baba the Circus Elephant.

Other Title

  • Elefantessa Miss Baba

Summary

  • This poster concerns the exhibition by Monsieur Marc Le Cerf of a female elephant named Miss Baba. Although neither date nor place is given, it can be dated approximately to 1840. It appears to be a general advertising bill, as implied by the note at the bottom, which states that "the elephant can be moved anywhere against fair payment." This poster is very similar to those used by other animal exhibitors of the time, in that it provides a list of the tricks the animal can perform. In this case Miss Baba can, among other feats, shoot a gun with her trunk as well as play the trumpet, flute, and accordion. In 1844 Miss Baba was part of the show of the Cirque Olympique in Paris presented by the company of Luigi Guillaume. The name Baba was so widely used during the 18th century that it ended up becoming synonymous with "circus elephant." Baba was in fact the name of Laurent Franconi's elephant at the Cirque Olympique in Paris and of another female elephant in Kreuzburg's enclosure that died of abdominal cramping in Germany in 1857. The fashion for exhibiting elephants and other exotic animals began in the 18th century, but the first trained elephant was presented by the Franconis at the Olympique only in 1812. By allowing people to come close to the animal, the circus created an entirely new kind of adventurous entertainment, one that attracted attention and that was often mentioned in the novels and chronicles of the time.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1844.

Headings

  • -  Italy
  • -  1844
  • -  Broadsides
  • -  Circus
  • -  Circus performers
  • -  Circus spectacles
  • -  Domestic animals
  • -  Elephants
  • -  Entertainers

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 poster ; 36 x 24 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Educational Documentation Centre of Circus Arts (CEDAC).
  • -  Content in English and Italian.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670963

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Miss Baba the Circus Elephant. Italy, 1844. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670963/.

APA citation style:

(1844) Miss Baba the Circus Elephant. Italy, 1844. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670963/.

MLA citation style:

Miss Baba the Circus Elephant. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670963/>.