Fortune teller's booth at the 1938 state fair in Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Traveling Carnivals and Circuses
Carnivals have existed in the form of agricultural fairs and festivals for centuries. But the travelling carnival gained popularity in the United States after the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The success of the World’s Fair created a desire for similar entertainment to be brought to small towns across the nation. In 1902 there were 17 traveling carnivals in the US, by 1936 that number had increased to 300. Carnivals typically consisted of rides, games, food, fortune tellers, sideshows, and various other types of entertainment.
Entertainers prior to the modern circus operated in small troupes that specialized in a particular talent. These performers would entertain in different settings including fairs, which were an important part of the trade economy in Europe from the seventh century until the late medieval period. Fairs would eventually shift from trade markets into primarily entertainment affairs. The creation of the modern circus occurred in 1768 in England, thanks to Philip Astley, a former sergeant major who transitioned into a skilled trick rider. In 1770 Astley expanded his exhibition to include a clown, musicians, and other performers. John Bill Ricketts is credited with bringing the circus to America in the late eighteenth century. A trained trick rider himself, he also used a variety of other performers in his shows. The most well-known circus in America is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth, established in the early twentieth century from three separate circuses.
Works Cited:
Chapter 1|The Circus. American Experience|PBS. 2018. Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHQ-rVZIeWA.
Charpentier, Faye. “The Origins of the American Traveling Carnival.” South End Historical Society. South End Historical Society, March 17, 2014. https://www.southendhistoricalsociety.org/american-carnival/.
Lee, Russell. Fortune teller’s cubicle, state fair, Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Library of Congress. 1938. Image. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017738105/.
Matyn, Marian. “Rides and Spangles: Circuses and Carnivals.” Clarke Historical Library. Central Michigan University, Nov 20, 2023. https://www.cmich.edu/research/clarke-historical-library/explore-collection/explore-online/michigan-material/rides-spangles-circuses-carnivals#a1.
Saxon, A. , Hoh, . LaVahn Gerry , Coxe, . Antony Dacres Hippisley and Parkinson, . Robert Lewis. "circus." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 11, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/art/circus-theatrical-entertainment.
Wallenfeldt, J.. "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus." Encyclopedia Britannica, September 18, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ringling-Bros-and-Barnum-and-Bailey-Combined-Shows.
Who is Jessie?
How did Blanche know her?
What was happening around the world in April 1909?
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
GREENVILLE FEMALE COLLEGE
The GFC is the Greenville Baptist Female College. It was established in 1854 by the South Carolina Baptist Convention. The convention chose Greenville because the town fathers offered $20,000 and the buildings of the former Greenville Academies. The name was later changed to the Greenville Woman’s College in 1912. From 1893-1918 the college awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree, after 1918 a Bachelor of Science and of Music were added. The GWC was the second largest college for women in South Carolina, with 60% of its graduate’s becoming teachers. In 1932 the Baptist Convention asked Furman University to take over the management of the GWC due to financial issues caused by the depression. The following year seventy women began classes on the men’s campus. In March 1933 the trustees of GWC asked Furman to take full control of the school. It wasn’t until 1937 that the takeover was officially approved. January 1938 marked the end of Greenville Woman’s College when it became Woman’s College of Furman University. In 1961 students from both campuses moved to the new Furman campus.
Works Cited:
Bainbridge, Judith. “Greenville Woman’s College.” South Carolina Encyclopedia. University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies, Aug 5, 2022. https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/greenville-womans-college/.
"Greenville Woman's College Catalog, 1909 - 1910." Furman University, Special Collections and Archives. https://scdl.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16821coll6/id/1797/rec/1.
“Greenville Woman’s College.” Furman University, Special Collections and Archives. Furman University, Nov 14, 2023. https://libguides.furman.edu/special-collections/history-and-traditions/greenville-womans-college.
Greenville Woman’s College. University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies. January 10, 2017. Image. https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/images/greenville-female-college/.
Pack, Evelyn. "The Isaqueena - 1909, June". Furman University Scholar Exchange.
http://scholarexchange.furman.edu/isaqueena/16.
APRIL FOOLS
Newpaper clipping dated April 2, 1909. This article is about a similar prank to the one Jessie mentions in her letter.
April Fool’s Day is a tradition that has been around since Renaissance Europe, though it has probably existed even longer. The exact origins of the holiday are unknown, but there are many theories. A Flemish Poem from 1561 is the first clear reference to April Fool’s Day. In the poem a servant is sent on “fool’s errands” because it is April 1st, a trick that is still popular today. April Fool’s Day represents a time of “symbolic inversion” of societal norms according to folklorist Nancy Cassell McEntire.
An image from 1826 showing a prank being played on a wealthy gentleman.
This “symbolic inversion” can take place on a personal scale or on an international one, like this BBC news report from 1957.
Works Cited:
1957: The SPAGHETTI HARVEST. BBC Archive. 1957. Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8scpGwbvxvI.
Agnes Scott College Walkout. Museum of Hoaxes. 1909. Image. http://hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/agnes_scott_college_walkout.
Ah! You April Fool!. Museum of Hoaxes. 1826. Image. http://hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/ah_you_april_fool.
"The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time." Museum of Hoaxes. Accessed November 30, 2023. https://hoaxes.org/aprilfool/.
Wills, Matthew. “The Completely True History of April Fools’ Day.” JSTOR Daily. JSTOR, March 31, 2018. https://daily.jstor.org/the-completely-true-history-of-april-fools-day/.
Winick, Stephen. “April Fools: The Roots of an International Tradition.” Folklife Today. Library of Congress, March 28, 2016. https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2016/03/april-fools/.