Collection of Eleven Photographs Relating to Circo Perez, a Travelling Circus in Chihuahua, c. 1898 - 1905

Chihuahua, 1905. Albumen photographs most measuring 4 x 6 and smaller. Photographs faded and with wear, some stray marks and scuffs to versos, good condition overall. Good. We find scant information about Circo Perez, a traveling circus in Chihuahua at the turn of the century. The circus was directed by Praxedis Perez and appeared to be largely a family affair. The present collection includes three overtly circus-related cabinet cards: an outdoor scene of the circus tent with a crowd of spectators looking at the camera, the verso bearing the note "Circus Perez, Chihuahua, 1898"; an advertisement for the troupe, Compania Acrobatica de Variedades y Grandes Novedades, with a portrait of the director Praxedis Perez; and a cabinet card portrait of a girl in costume. The other photographs appear to be a mix of gifts from grateful patrons and unidentified photographs, likely family members. Two photographs relate to a Capitan Manuel Villordo, both dated in Chihuahua in 1900, one showing the man on a horseback in military attire, the other a gift from a Caciano Perez. Another photograph shows an older woman with two children beside her, with the verso identifying her as Prudencia Perez. Overall an evocative if somewhat mysterious group, worthy of further research for scholars of Mexican performance.