From Richard Flint #1

circus%20toy%201, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr. On Christmas morning this year many of us might wish for an old circus poster like the one seen here printed by Strobridge for the B&B tour of France in 1902. Years ago, however, children often might have received a toy with a circus theme at Christmas time. On the left is a 13-1/2 inch tall lithographed and painted tin toy made by Fernand Martin of Paris beginning in 1906 and shown here atop its original box. Pull a string at the base and the ball descends to rise again when you let go. When it gets to the top, the sphere opens to reveal the man inside who, in the real act, provided the motive power for the ascent of the “Mysterious Ball.” According to the show program, upon reaching the top of the real 24-foot tower, Leon La Roche then discharged a pistol and waved a flag. La Roche was the grandfather of the great hoop rolling juggler Bob Bramson (see Bramson's act at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsI_PAcmlnE )