1920s circus

Here is an amazing photo collection that shows everyday life of circus performers at the backstage from between the 1920s and 1930s.

Some of the best "old school" circus photos you will ever see.

Vintage 'Freak Show' posters | Two heads | Great character and interaction

One evening at a local fleapit in Germany, sometime in the 1920s, a young woman stood on stage while the projectionist changed reels between movies and performed her latest dance called Pause. The woman was Valeska Gert who was well-known for her wild, unpredictable, highly controversial, beautiful yet often grotesque performances. The audience waited expectantly, a few coughs, a few giggles, but Gert did not move. She stood motionless in a slightly contrived awkward position and stared off…

Girl wearing white & black clown outfit & clown makeup

Lilya Brik (1891-1978) was a Russian sometime writer and socialite, connected to many leading figures in the Russian avant-garde between 1914 and 1930. She was known as the beloved (muse) of Vladimir Mayakovsky. She was born into a wealthy Jewish family of a lawyer and a music teacher in Moscow. Both she and her sister Elsa received excellent education and were able to speak fluent German and French, and to play the piano. Lilya graduated from Moscow Institute of Architecture. The sisters…