About This Image

With photographer's name printed on the recto. Photographer's name and address on verso. Name of performer in pencil on verso.

Jean Baptiste Auriol (1802-Aug. 29, 1881) was born in Toulouse, France, into a circus family. His father was Jean Louis Auriol, tightrope walker and acrobat. Jean Baptiste started very young on stage alongside his father and his siblings. Auriol--clown, acrobat and juggler--was one of the most famous circus performers of the Second Empire. He appeared regularly at the Cirque de l'Impératrice. He worked in the Cirque-Olympique Laurent Franconi in Paris, then in Germany, Holland, Prussia and Switzerland. One of his most famous acts was dancing on bottles, where he walked lightly on the necks of 20 bottles arranged on a pedestal, and then gently overturned them one by one with his foot.

Paul-Emile Pesme (1824-70) was born in Troyes, France. He was a Parisian photographer noted for his cartes-de-visite of actors, actresses, nudes, circus people, military officers and famous personalities of the period. He usually just went by his last name. He was associated with Alphonse Varin from 1856-1860. He exhibited his work along with Varin's at the SFP expositions in 1857, 1859, 1861 and 1863, as well as in Brussels in 1856. He also exhibited at the Paris Exposition of 1867.

Most U.S. domestic Fed Ex ground shipping (Media Mail for books) will be a flat $25 charge except for larger and heavier items, or unless the buyer wants express shipping (email us your requests for the latter). International shipping and insurance costs will be added to the price and must be paid for by the buyer. Pennsylvania buyers must pay appropriate local sales tax. International clients are responsible for their local customs duties and taxes, which will be charged by Fed Ex, which will contact the client prior to delivery.