On this day in 1768, the first modern circus was staged in London by Philip Astley, a former cavalryman whose first act was a riding trick where he waved his sword in the air with one foot on the saddle and the other on the horse’s head.

Tracey Snyder-Stone of Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida, made this quilted, titled “Welcome Home,” in 2012 for the Quilt Alliance’s “Home Is Where the Quilt Is” contest. Snyder wrote about her quilt: “This quilt was inspired by an exhibit I saw at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. The exhibit comprised of antique carousel horses and circus posters. The Victorian Era was so popular with quilting and my favorite era to collect quilts. I wanted to pay homage to the American traveling circus of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

View this quilt on The Quilt Index to find out! Read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view or click the “See full record” link to see a larger image and all the data entered about that quilt.

Source:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-modern-circus-is-staged

Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org