The Allard Pierson holds a unique and extensive circus collection that includes posters, programmes, photographs, slides, flyers, clippings and other documentation about circus performances. The circus collection consists of private collections of collectors and institutes dedicated to collecting circus heritage throughout the centuries. To name one, Herman Linssen amassed the data of almost 6,000 circuses, including the artists, venues, and seasons in which they performed. Other vital contributions to the Allard Pierson’s circus collection are the Jaap Best collection, which includes nearly 4,000 posters by the Jewish-German printer Adolph Friedländer; the Hartmans collection, specialising in children’s and young adult literature themed around the circus; and the Theater Instituut Nederland (Dutch Theatre Institute).
Suggestions for research:
• Women’s changing role in the circus in the 19th and 20th centuries.
• The use of wild animals for running a circus and attracting audiences.
• The importance of family connections among circus artists.
• The changing morality towards ‘freak shows’.
• The relevance of the circus as a haven for LGBTQ+ people.
• Orientalism and imperialism as part of the circus programme.
• Or other topics related to the circus collections.
Searching the collection
The circus collection can be searched online in the database of the theater collection of the UvA and through ArchivesSpace. Search instructions (in Dutch) have been compiled for searching the theatre collection. The individual circus collections can also be found on https://circusmuseum.nl/origin/.
Questions
Curator Frederieke van Wijk (f.k.vanwijk@uva.nl) answers questions about the collection. Fellowships programme coordinator Anna de Wilde can be contacted at (a.e.dewilde@uva.nl) for questions about the application process.
Guidelines
Read more about the guidelines and application process here.