Circus « 19thcenturylives

Cayetano’s time in the United States was relatively short. From what I have gathered thus far, he arrived in the US via Cuba in 1809. Upon arrival, Cayetano promptly joined a circus troupe with Victor Adolphus Pépin and Jean Baptiste Casmiere Breschard. Their’s was an equestrian circus company of known as The Circus of Pépin and Breschard. The Circus of Pepin and Breschard is considered the first American circus, and is mentioned in the United States Congresional Record of 1810. Cayetano was made an apprentice and began touring with the company. In the following years Pépin and Breschard’s company built circus theatres in cities across the United States, including New York City, New Orleans, Charlestown (Mass.), Baltimore, Richmond, Alexandria, Charleston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. In addition to the US theaters, they also built a theatre in Montreal, Canada. The oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world and the oldest theatre in the United States, the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, was built by Pépin and Breschard in 1809. Eventually, Pepin and Breschard made Cayetano a partner and the company became know as The Circus of Pépin, Breschard and Mariotini. Circus troupes associated with The Circus of Pépin, Breschard and Mariotini were the first to bring a circus west of the Appalachian Mountains to such frontier cities as Pittsburgh, PA, where Benjamin Latrobe, a designer of the United States Capitol, was the architect for a circus he built for them in 1814. In 1815, Cayetano branched out on his own with New Orleans in his sights.

Portrait of John Bill Ricketts or Breschard, the Circus Rider, circa 1808

National Portrait Gallery, Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828)

This week I am trying to focus on the importance of the circus in the 19th century. During the 19th century European circuses and American circus began to diverge. The circuses in Europe, continued on in much of the same manner as before, using a single ring. The towns were relatively closer together in Europe, which allowed traveling shows to use horse drawn carriages as they made their way around the country. European tent shows were compact as the audiences, who would come from surrounding villages, tended to be small. In the United States, however, conditions were very different. The distances between communities were much longer. The new railways allowed for the traveling shows to cover greater distances more efficiently – and the great train shows were born. Also, as the shows tended to be tied to the railway lines, they drew crowds from larger areas. To accommodate the larger numbers, circus owners added extra rings with bigger and bigger tents – or “tops”. The small circus show became an event with a large cast of performers, more extravagant animals, production numbers, and side shows. From this point forward the United States led the way and European shows, though still tending towards a single ring, began to follow with their own more extravagant productions. With the increased cost of production came an increased awareness for the need to publicize the show more effectively. An advance crew would arrive well ahead of the show to post advertisements for the upcoming event.

Cayetano Mariotini (a.k.a Gaetano Mariotini) immigrated from Cuba to New York in 1809. I have found him referenced by both names in various publications. I have also found that he may have immigrated to Cuba from Italy. He ran a circus with Jean Baptiste Casmiere Breschard and Victor Pepin. The circus traveled around the eastern seaboard. Their circus moved on west to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1814. Breschard and Pepin soon went back east, while “Mr. Cayetano” operated his own circus in what was then the West (Ohio and Kentucky). Cayetano performed as a clown, an acrobat, and a horse rider. On June 25, 1812, he was the first to exhibit an elephant (named “Old Bet”) in the United States. Cayetano worked his way south along the Mississippi River, performing in Natchez, Mississippi, from October 1815 through February 1816. From Natchez, his company went to New Orleans.

Below is a broadside from Cayetano’s circus when it appeared in Montreal, Canada in 1812. I am still trying to find this image in higher resolution in order to read the full text.

http://www.friendsoflibraryandarchivescanada.ca/en/acquisitions_summary.php

19thcenturylives

Researching and writing about the lives of nineteenth-century Americans

Tag Archives: Circus

Cayetano Mariotini: Short time, Big Impact (Part 1)

Cayetano Mariotini: The 19th-Century Circus & Cayetano’s Tour