Sunday, May 24, 2015

1952 Kelly-Miller #10



My father wrote on the back of this picture:

Bob King, Johnny Vogelsang, Clarence Shanks, Otto Scheiman, Chalmer Condon, Art Cooksey and George Graff.
Taken at Peru, Ind. 1952.

7 comments:

Bob Cline said...

Wow! This collective group captured a lot of Circus History on film over the years, for which we are all most grateful to this day!

Bob

Chic Silber said...


That 4 by 5 cut film press camera

held by Mr Shanks is most likely

a Crown Graphic which had fewer

features than it's big brother

the Speed Graphic which was the

most prolific press camera

Chic Silber said...


Without the focal plane shutter

assembly it wasn't quite as heavy

It took a little longer for the

leather strap to cut off blood

circulation in your hand

4pawfan said...

Chalmer Condon does not get the credit he should for saving so much circus history. It was his pleading ( years ago I was told that it was with Edith Ringling ) that saved the following wagons from the wagon burnings in Peru:

Two Jester's steam calliope
Harp & Jester air calliope
Ringling Bell wagon
Five Graces bandwagon
Lion and Snake tab
Gladiator and Lion
Lion tab
and the Sells-Floto Elephant tab

p.j.

Paul Gutheil said...

Nice range of cameras and photographers.
It's a sin that anyone should have had to plead to save those magnificent works of art on wheels.

Roger Smith said...

Of these, I knew Otto Scheiman and Art Cooksey. In my old BANDSWAGONS and WHITE TOPS, I still have articles by Chalmer Condon. Yes, it's a shame anyone had to beg to save these wagons, but the greater sin is that anyone elected to burn any of them at all.

4pawfan said...

Edith had married Charles Ringling in 1890 and she traveled with the show from 1890 to 1950, except for a short time after Charlie passed away in 1926.
John Ringling North took control of the circus in 1937 and kept it till 1943.
The cleaning out and sale of the Peru winter quarters and the burning of the wagons in November of 1941 was during the time that John Ringling North had control.

Chalmer Condon was a old time circus historian and had the ear of Mrs.Charlie to save some of the wagons. Some of these would be used on the show for a number of years and the others would be given and stored at the Museum by her.

So, she owened an interest in the show and had them moved from Peru to Sarasota.