Item Details


New Search
1252378
wagon
CD2003-0750
D2003-06963

Artifact Number88-14.1-7
Current Cultural AffiliationsFrench Canadian
All AffiliationsFrench Canadian (culture)
Category09: recreational artifacts
Sub-categoryI040: public entertainment device
Place of OriginCountry - Canada, Province - Quebec
MeasurementsHeight 24.0 cm, Length 120.5 cm, Width 22.0 cm
Artist / Maker / ManufacturerBergeron, Mr. Gaston
TitleLes gorilles
Earliest Possible Date1960
Latest Possible Date1967
InscriptionGargantua;The Great;78
CaptionThe Bergeron Circus
Additional InformationThe circus in North America was in its heyday from 1920 to 1950. Troupes travelled by train from city to city, arriving in towns with great fanfare. These colourful and extravagant spectacles attracted a public eager to hear the music of the brass band and to gaze at the acrobats, clowns, exotic animals, and various sideshows such as fire-eaters, snake-charmers and human curiosities. All of these were key elements of the big-top industry. The miniature circus created by Quebec craftsman Gaston Bergeron contains several hundred figures. Placed end-to-end, they form a parade measuring more than 150 metres long. Bergeron painstakingly based his miniature version on the types of circuses that existed during the spectacle's golden age in North America. Fascinated by the dazzling world of the circus, the artist devoted all his leisure time to the project. From 1958 to 1986, he presented his miniatures across Canada and the United States in a travelling exhibition. The Canadian Museum of Civilization acquired the collection in 1988.
Multimedia
1252381
CD2003-0750
D2003-06964
1252369
CD2003-0750
D2003-06960
1252374
CD2003-0750
D2003-06961
1252375
CD2003-0750
D2003-06962
1252853
CD2003-0749
D2003-06949
1252847
CD2003-0749
D2003-06947
1252850
CD2003-0749
D2003-06948





New Search



Reproduction of any item in the catalogue without the written permission of the Canadian Museum of History or the Canadian War Museum is prohibited.

Please contact us for more information on reproductions and permissions.