Photograph: Tintype portrait of three young men with flag in background, 1865 - 1875
MSS 027 Box 1 Folder 2 Item 6
1865 – 1875 (Date manufactured/created)
Tintype portrait photograph of three young men, the two taller ones flanking a much shorter one. The setting is informal, with the group standing in front of a white cloth on a wood plank floor, and a portion of an American flag visible at the top left. The setting may be a stage. This photograph is among the earliest ones in the Smith/Sharpe Family of Circus Performers collection, and it is presumed these young men are friends and perhaps were performers together. The short young man in the center resembles [Edwin] Fritz Smith, however the tintype image is not very clear, making a positive identification impossible. As an adult, Fritz Smith was notably shorter than average, so the height of the middle person may be deceptive in regard to age. The identities of the taller men are unknown. The collection includes another tintype that must have been taken in the same place at the same time, but is of just one young boy, unidentified. Like the shorter man in the center here, the boy is wearing a similar outfit of breeches or knickers, and a white shirt. In this group photo, the center man also wears a suit jacket with his kickers and white shirt; he has no hat, however. The slim footwear worn by both the boy and the center man is similar. In contrast to the short man and the boy, the tall young men are wearing regular suits with full-length loose pants, and both wear hats.
Edwin Fritz Smith was a circus performer who emigrated to America in the early1870s. He was born in Liverpool, England, the son of a tailor,in 1849 and was apprenticed to a "mountebank" from the age of 8 to 15 to learn tumbling, leaping, and acrobatics. He performed with his master, William Chantrell, and other apprentices as the Chantrell Family. Fritz won a prize, a silver belt in recognition of his talent, when he was about 13 or 14. After completing his apprenticeship he taught his older brothers Sidney and Alfred, and for about five years the three performed throughout Great Britain and in Europe as the Fritz Brothers. After Alfred was killed in an accident on stage, Fritz struck out on his own and partnered with another acrobat about the same age, James Cassim, The two traveled, among other places, to India, possibly because James' father had emigrated from India (his mother was Scottish), and they also performed in Spain and in France. The two of them left England sometime in the first half of 1870 headed to South America with a newly formed circus company, Courtney and Sanford, who promised to pay high salaries. The company opened in Lima, Peru, on June 1, 1870. Ultimately Fritz and his partner Cassim were left stranded, along with other performers, when the company went bankrupt and the owner disappeared. They finally succeeded in returning to the coast and finding a ship to get them to San Francisco where they performed for some time before heading east across the U.S. They worked in San Francisco for a time and then began working their way east. In New England Fritz met Catherine "Kitty" Sharpe and the couple married in August of 1874. She was a sand dancer, also known as a clog dancer or jig dancer, performing on stage in music halls and vaudeville; she also performed comic songs. The couple had five children. They traveled with their eldest child to Australia, where their second child was born. The journey proved to be quite an ordeal, and caused Kitty to refuse to travel overseas again. Fritz's entire career was devoted to performance and he became the head clown for Barnum & Bailey in the late 1880s. Fritz knew James A. Bailey very well, as he worked for Bailey and his partner James Cooper prior to Barnum & Bailey. He was also previously employed by the Adam Forepaugh circus enterprise. Kitty did not want him to travel abroad when Barnum & Bailey decided to go to England in 1889 so Fritz left the circus to work on stage, creating the Great Pantomime Trick House Act with a short succession of partners. He performed with his second son and namesake "Eddie" as clowns, and Eddie later became a partner in the Trick House Act. Fritz was forced to retire from stage after an injury in the Trick House Act, but he continued to be involved in the entertainment world. The Smith family settled in Saratoga Springs, New York, around 1883 when their third child was born, and Kitty and Fritz remained their until they died. Kitty's parents and one of her sisters and her husband also settled in Saratoga Springs, forming an enclave of circus and vaudeville performers.
Edwin Fritz Smith was a circus performer who emigrated to America in the early1870s. He was born in Liverpool, England, the son of a tailor,in 1849 and was apprenticed to a "mountebank" from the age of 8 to 15 to learn tumbling, leaping, and acrobatics. He performed with his master, William Chantrell, and other apprentices as the Chantrell Family. Fritz won a prize, a silver belt in recognition of his talent, when he was about 13 or 14. After completing his apprenticeship he taught his older brothers Sidney and Alfred, and for about five years the three performed throughout Great Britain and in Europe as the Fritz Brothers. After Alfred was killed in an accident on stage, Fritz struck out on his own and partnered with another acrobat about the same age, James Cassim, The two traveled, among other places, to India, possibly because James' father had emigrated from India (his mother was Scottish), and they also performed in Spain and in France. The two of them left England sometime in the first half of 1870 headed to South America with a newly formed circus company, Courtney and Sanford, who promised to pay high salaries. The company opened in Lima, Peru, on June 1, 1870. Ultimately Fritz and his partner Cassim were left stranded, along with other performers, when the company went bankrupt and the owner disappeared. They finally succeeded in returning to the coast and finding a ship to get them to San Francisco where they performed for some time before heading east across the U.S. They worked in San Francisco for a time and then began working their way east. In New England Fritz met Catherine "Kitty" Sharpe and the couple married in August of 1874. She was a sand dancer, also known as a clog dancer or jig dancer, performing on stage in music halls and vaudeville; she also performed comic songs. The couple had five children. They traveled with their eldest child to Australia, where their second child was born. The journey proved to be quite an ordeal, and caused Kitty to refuse to travel overseas again. Fritz's entire career was devoted to performance and he became the head clown for Barnum & Bailey in the late 1880s. Fritz knew James A. Bailey very well, as he worked for Bailey and his partner James Cooper prior to Barnum & Bailey. He was also previously employed by the Adam Forepaugh circus enterprise. Kitty did not want him to travel abroad when Barnum & Bailey decided to go to England in 1889 so Fritz left the circus to work on stage, creating the Great Pantomime Trick House Act with a short succession of partners. He performed with his second son and namesake "Eddie" as clowns, and Eddie later became a partner in the Trick House Act. Fritz was forced to retire from stage after an injury in the Trick House Act, but he continued to be involved in the entertainment world. The Smith family settled in Saratoga Springs, New York, around 1883 when their third child was born, and Kitty and Fritz remained their until they died. Kitty's parents and one of her sisters and her husband also settled in Saratoga Springs, forming an enclave of circus and vaudeville performers.
Gift of Susan Crozier Fairchild
MS-0027-102-006