Thursday, January 11, 2007

From John Campolongo


Carl Hagenbeck 1880 Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 1/11/2007 06:00:00 AM

16 comments:

Raffaele De Ritis said...

This is a remarkable document preceding the origins of the modern circular cage. This picture must come from the late Zimmerman collection from Hamburg (from there I saw it the first time).
Anyway, is one of the first pictures ever of an attempt of "modern" training of a group of wild animals (pyramids, etc.).
The Hagenbecks developed this cage trailer around 1880, and this evolved slowly into the modern circular cage. The Hagenbecks started to train animals in 1878 (even if they was in the import business by the 1860s) The trainer in the cage is not Carl (I don't think he ever trained or presented a single cat himself), but it is very possible to be Julius Seeth, that reached the Hagembeck organization in 1881. The responsable of the invention is probably Wilhelm Hagenbeck. The circular cage will be used for the fist time later. I know the first documented proof in 1889. I will try to post something more about it.
Very nice to have news from you, John. Where are you now? I am the italian guy that was chased away from Arlette Gruss in Paris, remember?

11 January, 2007 07:17
GaryHill said...

If he is in that cage it is awfully tight quarters.

11 January, 2007 08:14
Buckles said...

Today the cage could go out the back door and continue on directly to the train.
Also afford more storage space on the train for concession stock.

11 January, 2007 08:25
Anonymous said...

Gary, Any space is tight quarters when you are confined with wild animals. Some times no arena is big enough.

11 January, 2007 08:49
Anonymous said...

Wonderful photo! Actually, for Gary Hill, this is a fairly large cage compared to some other early photos of cat acts in cages though, admittedly, there are quite a number of cats performing!

The first arena cage act in the US was presented by Col. Edgar Daniel Boone and Miss Carlotta on the Forepaugh show in 1891. (By this time the Forepaugh show was owned by James E. Cooper since Forepaugh had died the year before.) A Keokuk newspaper for that year reported on this “startling novelty” as follows: “After the imposing entrée … in a steel bound ring forty feet in diameter and of sufficient height to prevent escape of the animals appeared a gentleman and a lady … and tow hounds. A moment later a big elephant came walking into the tent pushing a cage with three lions. The cage was backed up to the entrance to the steel ring. The door was opened and the three kings of the forest came bounding down into the enclosure. The people were startled, but apprehension soon gave way to the admiration and wonder at the exhibition of the lion trainers’ supremacy over their monster pets. The lions formed pedestals, held ropes for the hounds to jump over, played seesaw, rode a tricycle, fired a pistol, romped with Col. Boone and seemed to enjoy the whole performance.” Boone disappears after this year but in 1893 the show’s elephant trainer George Arstingstall broke a mixed act (pairs of panthers, leopards, lions, dogs, and one black bear) that a Washington newspaper described as being presented in a “big iron barred corrall set up in the midst of the main tent” by Albert Stadler, a Swede by birth.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

11 January, 2007 09:21
Raffaele De Ritis said...

Thanks mr.Flint for the interesting article!
The reason for the Hagenbeck vehicle was so large, it because they was the first to introduce displays such the pyramids. Previous presentations (as Batty, Carter, Bidel, even Van Amburgh etc)don't included this kind of training. Before Hagenbeck, european circuses as Renz or Cirque d'Hiver used to move smaller carts or built a square cage in the ring.
After Col.Boone, he very first group in America presenting a modern pyramid display in a full ring-sized circular cage was the Hagenbeck show at the Chicago Columbian expo in 1893. The trainer was Ehrich Mehrmann, Carl's brother in law.
I have a big question: who and when presented the first cage act on Barnum-Bailey? I never was able to discover. In Baraboo there is a 1894 BB poster with a display in all similar to Mehrmann's. Did Bailey acquired one of the Hagenbeck groups? I will be grateful to whoever can help.

11 January, 2007 13:37
Anonymous said...

I've heard of Col. Woodcock's description of seeing Jules Jacot work in a cage wagon, somewhat like this. It was a green wagon or Jules wore a green costume. Jules worked his first cat act in 1911, not sure of the show.

11 January, 2007 15:36
Anonymous said...

To Raffaele, I just had lunch with John Campolongo, he lives in Orlando, FL. E-mail me directly, and I will give you more contact info.
circus4youth@earthlink.net

Jim Cole

11 January, 2007 15:55
Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds adds - -

I think this is a rare telescoping cage. Note that the upper half sits outside the perimeter of the lower. When traveling and not presenting an act the upper part could be lowered until it sat on the shelf or ledge we see around the floor.

Somewhere I have a photo of this or another telescoping cage.

11 January, 2007 16:59
Anonymous said...

In answer to Raffaele de Ritis, Richard Reynolds says - - -

The first big cage routine on Barnum & BAiley was that of Miss Adgie Costelli and her 8 lions in 1915 and 1916. She worked in a 7 x 12 foot steel arena. It was set up on one of the end stages. VARIETY for Apr 9, 1915 commented on how unusual it was to see a lion act on B&B, pointed out that her number drew the attenton of the entire house, and could easily have been a center ring number.

The separate Ringling circus never featured a wild animal big cage act.

Miss Adgie presented her lion act in vaudeville and at fairs etc. for many years.

Though she does not seem to get much limelight, she was a pioneer female lion trainer.

11 January, 2007 17:26
Anonymous said...

Too bad Paul Ingrassia didn't have this wagon for the Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee. It would have made a hit.

11 January, 2007 18:21
Anonymous said...

Good picture, John. I have an original photo of this cage wagon. As Richard Reynolds stated, this was a telescopic cage. The top half dropped into the bottom half for travelling and also bringing it into the tent under the side walls. Lord George Sanger's Circus copied it, maybe even bought one, from Hagenbeck for their lion act, which was presented by "Lt." Frank Taylor AKA "Alpine Charlie". Taylor is also sometimes credited with being the first person to introduce the arena cage in the UK. They were still presenting wild animal acts in cage wagons up until 1940 in England. The normal wagon size was 16ft long x 6.6ft wide x 6.6ft tall (sometimes 7ft tall inside). I have different pictures of groups of 5 male lions, 2 tigers and 2 lionesses, 4 leopards, 5 leopards as well as 2 polar bears, 2 black bears, 2 wolves and 2 hyenas. These were all separate acts. Occasionally the wagons were 18ft long, but this was rare. As I have mentioned before, I trained a bouncing act with a lion and 2 lionesses in a 16ft wagon, originally for the opening parade for Ringlings, but it never materialized. Working in the wagon is now a lost art. You really had to know what you were doing. You could get knocked over so easy. I had a good teacher in Dick Chipperfield Snr., who was an expert in this craft.

12 January, 2007 10:53
Raffaele De Ritis said...

Thank Jim for the wonderful details. If you come in Monte Carlo, it will be a pleasure to discuss more about it. It is interesting that some traces of the "fighting" British Chipperfield school we can still barely see in the Lacey acts. I always dream to design and stage a real old-time wagon fighting lion act, in his full theatrical potential. What trainer today in the two emisphere will dare to do it?

13 January, 2007 05:07
Anonymous said...

The only time that Carl Hagenbeck present the animals himself front the public was in the Chicago Expo in 1893. In these days Ehrich Mehrmann fell ill of typhus and CH should have taken his place in the debut and some days later, up to Mehrmann 's recovery.
The man in the oval cage mybe is Carl Kreutzberg, son of Gottlieb, the ancient menagerist

13 January, 2007 06:37
Anonymous said...

I was very interested to read the comments regarding the photo and the menagerie owner Gottlieb Kreutzberg.
I have been searching for information about this family for many years, he would have been my ggggranddad.
Gottliebs daughter Anna married Ledger Delmonico the african/american lion tamer who trained with Hagenbeck.
I would be very grateful if anyone with any knowledge of the family and its involvement in the industry contacted me.
The other interesting point is that Gottlieb had many children, as yet, I was not aware that he had a son called ''Carl''
Please contact me if you have any snippet of info, no matter how small
Thank you !
Lyn B

19 January, 2007 11:28
Anonymous said...

I am interested to read the comments about Col.Boone. He may actually have a Hagenbeck connection.In 1892 he was reported as saying his keeper had been with Hagenbeck "since he was a baby"
Col.Boone was touring Europe in the 1880's he appeared in variety shows with a "den" of at least 5 lions, in venues such as Edinburgh and London. He also perfored the lions under canvas in a big ring (large enough to drive lions harnessed to a buggy around)in Paris at the 1889 Exposition, so he must have had some sort of cages for transport! It was Bailey who recruited him to go to the States in 1891 - After the Forepaugh Circus tour in 1892 he is recorded performing his act in a theatre again. Col. Boone was showing again in Sept 1893 at the World's Columbian Exposition, though not perhaps on the actual Midway?
In 1894 Col Boone had his own Wild Animal Arena and was one of the principle attractions on The Midway at the San Francisco Mid Winter Exposition.(His antics almost got the Exposition closed down early... but that is another story!)
After that he went on tour with his own animal show under canvas.
In 1895 he promoted several lion v's bear and bull contests just over the US border in Mexico. But appears to have returned to "mainstream" performing in 1896 again with his own touring show.
In 1897 his show was on the Midway at the Tennesse Centennial, where I have just learnt he introduced his 11 year old daughter to lion taming!
For the rest of his career "the old lion tamer", he was then in his late 50's, performed on the midway in touring carnivals and also in the theatre at Hubers Museum in New York.

26 January, 2007 04:18

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