Let's go back a few decades to a time when funfairs were synonymous with shows and attractions of all kinds. In those days, between the wild animal tamer and the vendor of all sorts of objects, there were magicians' booths, which were nothing more and nothing less than real small traveling theaters.
Photo of magician Bénévol's theater (collection Centre de Recherche sur la Prestidigitation)
With an imposing storefront and posters placed here and there, everything was done to attract passers-by and encourage them to enter the theater. A small space, like a front stage, was usually present to introduce the artists and sometimes even perform a few magic tricks as a taste of what would be presented in the show to definitively convince the audience to come and take a seat.
Photograph of the Laroche theater (collection Centre de Recherche sur la Prestidigitation)
Postcard of the Bénévol theater (collection Centre de Recherche sur la Prestidigitation)
But with theaters having increasingly imposing facades, and with ever more equipment, magicians, like other artists, had to invest in small trucks to transport their gear from town to town. This is how we see the progressive appearance of vehicles that were immediately transformed into giant billboards, allowing artists to bring their equipment with them.
This extravagance of means contrasts with other artists who, for lack of vehicles or by choice, preferred to take with them a simple set of cups and a table. We offer you a little game, will you manage to find the cup and ball player on this illustrated score from the 19th century? 🙂
Score "La foire de Corneveille" (collection Thibault Ternon)
These magnificent theaters gradually disappeared from fairs and are now preserved only through the few photos we have left of them. May this article revive them a little, and introduce you to these curious shows that must have been incredible to experience... except for a certain rabbit (see below)!
19th century calendar where a live rabbit is eaten!
Credits
All images come from the collection of the Centre de Recherche sur la Prestidigitation – Thibault Ternon and are freely and gratuitously reusable by all, on any medium, simply by indicating the original source.
Postcard of the Bénévol theater (collection Centre de Recherche sur la Prestidigitation)
