Sideshows & Spectacles: Victorian Entertainment Book of Postcards

Come one, come all! For high-wire entertainment, dramatic feats, original acts, and the most magnificent exhibitions from around the world, take a seat and enjoy the Victorian era’s dazzling sideshows and spectacles.

Magic shows, séances, pantomimes, and circus acts were popular forms of entertainment during the Victorian era, when interest in spiritualism and curiosities from faraway lands was at a peak. The industrial revolution wrought huge changes in society, and people found themselves with more time and money for leisure activities. From Modern Witchery to The Fakirs of Benares, these spectacles were advertised on colorful posters, attracting crowds to stages and fairground tents throughout Britain. Thirty such posters are presented here.