Pablo Fanque
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Pablo Fanque was a British equestrian performer and circus proprietor, becoming the first recorded Black circus owner in Britain. His circus was popular in Victorian Britain for 30 years, a period tha
Pablo Fanque
Fanque at Astley's Amphitheatre, 1847
The poster for Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal from 1843 that inspired the Beatles' song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"
Graves of Susannah and William Darby
W. F. Wallett
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William Frederick "W.F." Wallett was a popular circus clown in Victorian England, who also enjoyed modest celebrity in the United States. After he performed before Queen Victoria in 1844 at Windsor Ca
Pablo Fanque
…regretted, and your name and acts of benevolence be remembered by future generations.' During the 1840s and 1850s, Fanque was close friends with the clown W. F. Wallett, who performed in his circus. Wallett also managed Fanque's circus for a time. Wallett frequently promoted himself as "the Queen's Jester," having…
WF Wallett, celebrated Clown and Jester, appearing before Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and the Royal Family, 11 July 1844
Plaque on the cottage at 220 Station Road, Beeston