Herr Christoff
Herr Christoff | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Frederick Christopher 1826 Swansea, Wales |
| Died | 13 June 1881 (aged 54–55) London, England |
| Occupations | |
George Christopher (1826 – 13 June 1881), better known by the stage name Herr Christoff, was a British tightrope walker and acrobat.[1]
Early life
[edit]George Frederick Christopher was born of African descent in Swansea in 1826.[2] He was the son of Kitt Christopher. George and his younger brother John first performed as children with their father, who appeared professionally as Signor Christoff.[3] In London, his father performed street acts that included balancing cartwheels.[4]
Career
[edit]In July 1854, Herr Christoff first appeared at Astley's Amphitheatre under British circus owner William Cooke. He was billed as "the first rope dancer in the world" and "l'Empereur des Funambules".[5] Christoff was recognized as the only performer of colour on the tightrope and was acclaimed for his exceptional skill.[6] His act combined tightrope dancing with back somersaults, which he executed with or without a balancing pole, always landing on the rope.[7]
He appeared at Hoxton's Britannia Theatre in October 1854.[6] Christoff performed in Stockport with the circus of Pablo Fanque, the first Black circus owner in Britain, in November 1856.[8] In December 1857, he joined William Cooke's troupe for performances at the Royal Amphitheatre in Liverpool, where he was advertised as "the greatest tight-rope artiste of the present age."[9]
He performed at Sydney's Royal Victoria Theatre in October 1859.[10] On 1 August 1860, he made his first tightrope performance at the Royal Alhambra Palace, organized by G. Van Hare.[11][12]
Herr Christoff appeared as one of the headline acts with Gardiner’s American Circus in Geelong in 1863.[13]
Christoff was engaged at great expense by A. Quaglieni.[14] He made his first appearance with Quaglieni's Grand Cirque in Cardiff, Wales, in November 1864.[15]
By 1867, Christoff was among the oldest and most celebrated performers in his field. His act was complemented by Madame Christoff, who performed as a clown, entertaining audiences with clever dances and witty remarks between the tightrope feats.[16]
Christoff performed with James Cooke's Great World Circus in March 1867, giving a skillful exhibition on the tightrope.[7] While in Sydney, he was billed as the "Blondin of Australia" in January 1868.[17] He appeared at the Prince of Wales Opera House in December 1868 with the company of acrobats and equestrians.[18]
Christoff joined Bird, Blow & Wills' Great American Circus in 1869. On 14 October 1869, he performed on the tightrope with his feet in two bushel baskets for the first time in New Zealand.[19] He appeared with the company at Barnard's Repository in Christchurch in December 1869.[20]
Christoff performed at the Queen's Theatre in England in The Last Days of Pompeii, a drama in five acts by John Oxenford, on 8 January 1872.[21]
In November 1872, Herr Christoff performed in Dublin, Ireland, at the City Music Hall of Varieties (now City Varieties Music Hall). At the time, he was considered the only double somersault performer in the world.[22] By 1874, he was working with Swallow's Grand Circus in Bolton.[23]
Death
[edit]George Christopher died at age 55 in London, England, on 13 June 1881.[24]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Era Almanack". books.google.ca. 1879. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ Vanessa Toulmin (2018). "Black circus performers in Victorian Britain". doi.org. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Black Performers in the Nineteenth-Century Circus". jvc.oup.com. 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "TAA Files: Annals of the Architectural Association School of Architecture". books.google.ca. Architectural Association. 2003. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Astley's Royal Amphitheatre". The Era. 30 July 1854. p. 1. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Royal Britannia, Hoxton". The Era. 8 October 1854. p. 1. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Town And Country: The Great World Circus". The Lyttelton Times. 4 March 1867. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Pablo's Circus, Waterloo, Stockport". Stockport Advertiser. 14 November 1856. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Royal Amphitheatre". Liverpool Daily Post. 26 December 1857. p. 1. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Royal Victoria Theatre". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 October 1859. p. 4. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Royal Alhambra Palace". The Morning Post. 1 August 1860. p. 1. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Fifty Years of a Showman's Life, Or, The Life and Travels of Van Hare". books.google.ca. W.H. Allen. 1888. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "herr christoff the tightrope-walking wonder". geelonghistoricalsociety.org.au. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "The Law Journal Reports". books.google.ca. 1865. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Quaglieni's Grand Cirque". The Cambria Daily Leader. 23 November 1864. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "The Standard Amphitheatre". The Era. 20 January 1867. p. 12. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Great World Circus". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 January 1868. p. 8. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Great World Circus". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 December 1868. p. 8. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Bird, Blow & Wills' Great American Circus". The New Zealand Herald. 14 October 1869. p. 1. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Entertainments. Bird, Blow & Wills' Great American Circus". The Lyttelton Times. 18 December 1869. p. 1. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Modern English Biography: Containing Many Thousand Memoirs of Persons who Have Died Since the Year 1850, with an Index to the Most Interesting Matter". books.google.ca. 1892. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "City Music Hall Of Varieties". The Irish Times. 19 November 1872. p. 1. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "City Music Hall Of Varieties". The Bolton News. 30 January 1874. p. 1. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Spangles and Sawdust: The Circus in Australia". books.google.ca. Greenhouse Publications. 1983. Retrieved 15 June 2025.