Podcast Summary: Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the 19th Century Circus

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Dr. Christina Gessler
Guest: Betsy Golden Kellam, author of "Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the 19th Century Circus"
Date: September 9, 2025

Overview

This episode explores the history and significance of women performers in the 19th century circus as presented in Betsy Golden Kellam’s book Jumping Through Hoops. The conversation delves into the evolution of circus culture, the gendered dynamics of performance, and the way women—and particularly their bodies—were deployed and perceived in public spectacle. Kellam shares her own path to researching this subject, rich anecdotes about trailblazing performers, and reflections on how circus challenged and negotiated social norms around gender, ability, and identity.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Betsy's Dual Career and Circus Fascination

• Background: Betsy Golden Kellam is both a practicing attorney and an independent historian drawn to pop culture and circus history.
• Interdisciplinarity: Her journey to authorship was unconventional; after starting in law, she rekindled her passion for history through research, writing, and public history work (e.g., video series for the Barnum Museum, a JSTOR Daily column).

  “There is a way in which the lawyers don’t understand why I have what they think of as this strange hobby. And the academics kind of don’t understand why I have a day job that doesn’t involve a PhD...I do think there’s not necessarily one right way to be a historian.” (03:55)

2. Personal Connection to Circus Arts

• Embodied Experience: Kellam shares her lifelong love for the circus, from juggling as a child and college student to working with circus organizations as a historian and community member.

  “I taught myself to juggle when I was a kid, and loved doing it then. I still love it now...Circus arts demand a unique focus, but there’s also the satisfaction of...learn[ing] a trick or you will learn a skill. And that exchange is actually very gratifying.” (05:11)

3. Defining the Circus: History and Structure

• Ancient Roots to American Icon: The “circus” as an institution is ancient, but its modern, commercial form has roots in 18th-century England (equestrian academies, fair culture) and evolves into a uniquely American phenomenon in the 19th century, aided by mass media and popular culture.
• Scope: The “circus” includes a core set of acts (aerialists, equestrians) but also so-called “allied arts”—menageries, sideshows—associated with, but not central to, the circus proper.

  “Circus is ancient...The idea that it comes together in kind of a packaged commercial form as a business and a cultural exemplar is what I’m looking at...in the cauldron of American mass media society in the 1800s, [it] becomes this very uniquely American thing.” (07:06)

4. Key Figures: Astleys and Barnum

• Astley Family: Philip Astley, considered the “father of the circus,” and his wife Patti—popular trick-riders—pioneered the ring and performance format, with Patti serving as an early example of female circus stardom.
• P.T. Barnum: Renowned for marketing, spectacle, and “humbuggery”, Barnum expanded the scale and reach of the circus, especially in America's “golden age” (1870s–early 20th century).

  “[Barnum] wanted to keep his name in front of the public. He loved spectacle...He was not above using hoax or humbug to get people’s attention...He became a millionaire...The circus was something that he took this opportunity to...take a second bite at the apple career wise.” (13:19–15:54)

5. Women Performers: Trailblazers & Body Politics

• The book examines the first generation of women who used their bodies as tools of public performance, confronting and broadening social rules around femininity.
• Anecdotes:
  • Annie Edson Taylor: In her 60s, became famous for surviving a barrel ride over Niagara Falls—a quest for quick fame rather than a professional daredevil career.

    “She pulled it off...came out with a little bit of a scrape, but was otherwise fine. And I mean, just to think about that is a fantastic feat and also more than a little bit insane.” (19:24–20:59)

  • Maria Spelterini: Professional acrobat who walked a tightrope over Niagara Falls, sometimes with her feet in baskets—a feat captured in dramatic photographs (see p. 213).
  • Diverse Array of Women: Some rose briefly to public attention; others built long careers; all navigated publicity, economic realities, and physical risk.

6. Research Challenges: Interrogating Archive and Media

• Archival Breadth: Research required travel from Wisconsin to Yale to Florida, scouring archives for photographs, letters, and ephemeral memorabilia (e.g., souvenir photos, pamphlet biographies).
• Media Sensationalism: Press and promotional materials often exaggerated or distorted the truth, necessitating skepticism and careful contextualization.

  “...because these are fundamentally promotional items, you have to kind of just keep that in the back of your mind as a researcher...With any circus source, who wrote this and why and to what end? What can you believe and why?” (24:00)

7. Disability, Representation, and the Sideshow

• The circus offered economic independence and a professional stage for some with disabilities, even as it risked reducing performers to their bodily difference.

  “There are a lot of people who are very eager to...dismiss the whole endeavor as exploitative...but for many performers with disabilities this was good, steady employment, it was economic independence, access to a community...” (27:00)

• Contemporary scholars (and Kellam herself, with lived experience of invisible disability) seek to restore fuller personhood and complexity to historical figures, challenging reductive archival practices.

8. Women Animal Trainers: Skill, Danger, and Gender Performance

• Positive Reinforcement: Some (e.g., Claire Heliot, Countess X) pioneered humane training methods, understanding its ethical and business benefits.
• Media Myths: Press shaped narratives that attributed women trainers’ success to “innocence” and “sentimentality” rather than skill and bravery.

  “...these women were engaging in dangerous work with tremendous skill and patience, but somehow that just didn’t make as good a public relations story.” (30:37–32:24)

9. Circus as a Space for Gender, Racial, and Cultural Contestation

• The circus performed a “dance” between social expectations and subversion; costuming and self-presentation were tools to both conform to and challenge norms.
• The book also interrogates racism and exoticization through figures like Olga Brown (Ms. Lala), showing the complexities women faced as they confronted both “literal and cultural beasts.”

10. Conclusion: What the Circus Sparks

• Curiosity and Imagination: Kellam hopes that listeners are inspired to learn about the circus, its performers, and the gendered histories it entails.

  “I hope it sparks one of the circus’s favorite things, which is curiosity...it opens the mind and the senses to the idea of more expansive things.” (33:32)

• Invitation: She encourages all to seek out live circus performances and experience the magic firsthand.

  “Oh, go see a circus...They’re doing wonderful work and it’s still a fabulous day out.” (34:06)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Academic/Professional Identity:

  “There’s not necessarily one right way to be a historian, even though kind of traditional tenure track academia might make you think that.”
  (03:54 – Betsy Golden Kellam)

• On the Thrill and Legacy of Performance:

  “All the women that we meet are astounding for a variety of reasons. And as you mentioned, some had a sort of quick rise to the media’s attention, and some had more longevity.”
  (22:36 – Dr. Christina Gessler)

• On Archival Research and Skepticism:

  “You have to have a little bit of skepticism just to ask yourself, with any circus source, who wrote this and why and to what end?”
  (24:00 – Betsy Golden Kellam)

• On Disability and Identity:

  “Historically, many performers were kind of reduced in their identity or in their portrayal and that as scholars, we can try to open that back up a little bit.”
  (27:00 – Betsy Golden Kellam)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:51–04:50: Betsy’s academic and career journey, intersection of law and history
• 05:11–06:26: Personal connection with circus, college club experiences
• 07:06–08:42: The origins and evolving definition of “circus”
• 10:31–15:56: Key figures—The Astleys, P.T. Barnum, and the growth of “the Greatest Show on Earth”
• 19:24–21:02: Annie Edson Taylor and Maria Spelterini: feats at Niagara Falls
• 22:36–24:00: Visual sources, fan memorabilia, and interrogating historic sources
• 27:00–29:26: Disability, representation, and the challenge of sourcing ethically
• 30:08–32:24: Women animal trainers: gender, skill, and media
• 33:32–34:06: Betsy’s hopes for listener takeaways—curiosity, engagement, and visiting a circus

Final Takeaways

This episode highlights how the 19th century circus was a crucible for gender performance, boundary-pushing, and spectacle. Betsy Golden Kellam’s research not only uncovers the untold stories of bold women performers and their layered legacies, but also interrogates the ways in which spectacle, gender, race, and ability intersected in the American imagination. Bridging scholarship and enthusiasm, Kellam urges listeners to maintain curiosity—and maybe to witness a circus firsthand.