Mrs. Dickinson on the slackwire

The mid- to end 19th century was the heyday for the American travelling circus, the grand spectacle in the days that had no film nor television for entertainment aside from opera and theatre. Posters and newspaper engravings along with articles and live travelling promoters would have been advertising the show coming to town. A chronology of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, entry for the year 1871 states “The Great Commonwealth Circus exhibits in Selinsgrove,” Mrs. Dickinson on the slackwire likely having been a major attraction.