Roll up for the greatest show in South Yorkshire

A CELEBRATION of the work of PT Barnum, including a life-size statue of the world-famous showman as half man, half insect, has been brought to South Yorkshire by a Sheffield academic.

Professor Vanessa Toulmin, director of the National Fairground Archive at Sheffield University, has put together the show to mark the 200th anniversary of Barnum’s birth in 1810.

Before it arrived in the city the exhibition had been part of the Showzam 2010 event in Blackpool, an annual festival of circus, magic and variety which Prof Toulmin also helps to organise.

The Barnum project is called Humbug! Celebrating 200 Years of PT Barnum, and will also include representations of some of the entertainer’s most notorious exhibits and sideshows.

Barnum was famous for a series of attractions and stars, including General Tom Thumb and the Siamese twins Chang and Eng, as well as a series of elaborate hoaxes.

Prof Toulmin said: “The National Fairground Archive at Sheffield University was thrilled to be working in collaboration with Visit Blackpool on the Showzam festival for the third year running.

“Showzam is a celebration of Blackpool’s deep-rooted tradition of high-quality entertainment with stars from around the world. The latest festival was Blackpool’s third festival of circus, magic and new variety and was an exciting 10 days of world-class shows and events.

“I was very excited to be curating and producing part of the exhilarating line up for Showzam, including the spectacular Humbug exhibition. This is a must-see exhibition and I am delighted that it has been transferred to the newly refurbished Western Bank Library exhibition space in Sheffield.

“This new space is a fantastic asset to the university and I can’t wait to see staff, students and members of the public enjoying Humbug and many more exhibitions here in the future.”

The exhibition, which has been funded by Sheffield University and the Arts Council, will also include items from the Fairground Archive which have never been seen before.

Sheffield sculptor Anthony Bennett has created the Barnum figure, which will be suspended 15 feet above visitors as they enter the show.

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