Marylin @ the circus

Posted on Posted in Circus, Film, Marilyn Monroe, Milton Berle, New York, Photography, Weegee2 Comments

Old Madison Square Garden, March 30, 1955 
Marilyn Monroe makes a memorable guest appearance at The Ringling Bros Circus fund-raiser benefiting the New York Arthritis & Rheumatism Foundation.  This was the event that re-introduced her to the world after a year in hiding.  It was the “Show Of Shows” with Milton Berle as ringmaster.  Milton and Marilyn were inspired and excited with the whole idea and decided to use the evening’s festivities to make the formal announcement of MMP (Marilyn Monroe Productions) to the world. It was Miss Monroe’s idea to ride a pink female elephant, complete with a pink bow on the tail, as well as a matching rhinestone harness and saddle.  Mariyn’s entrance and her reappearance to the world caused a media frenzy!

 <click images to enlarge>

Il Saltimbanco

Posted on Posted in Antonio Mancini, Children, CircusLeave a comment
John Singer Sargent is said to have proclaimed Mancini the greatest living painter
Antonio Mancini, 1877-1978 
[Philadelphia Museum of Art, Vance N. Jordan Collection]

Mancini’s large painting depicts a street urchin named Luigi Gianchetti (Luigiello) who Mancini discovered in Naples and painted in various settings, often in elaborate costumes. Il Saltimbanco reflects Mancini’s interest in the Cirque Guillaume, which he attended in Naples with Vincenzo Gemito. Completed while Mancini was living in Paris, Il Saltimbanco was exhibited at the Salon in 1877 and once belonged to Count Albert Cahen d’Anvers, the Belgian composer who was an important early patron. ➔ Francesco Sessa

Ulrich W. Hiesinger