{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1527532"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1527532/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2020ML9022/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2020ML9022/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2020ML9022","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9024","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9020","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9023","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9028","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9019","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9029","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9021","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9026","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9027","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2020ML9025","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1527532","accessionNumber":"S.1-2020","objectType":"Pop-up book","titles":[{"title":"Reproduction of Lothar Meggendorfer's 1887 book <i>International Circus</i>","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"This is a reproduction of <i>International Circus</i>, the pop-up book originally created in 1887 by Lothar Meggendorfer (1847-1925) and printed in Germany by J.F.Schreiber of Esslingen. A first edition of the work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.\r\n\r\nNovelty and mechanical picture books for children date back to the 1760s when Robert Sayer of London published a series of children's books with hidden pictures. This type of toy book inspired others, and the popular toy theatre sheets published in the early to mid-19th century developed into flap books and eventually into books with movable parts or intricate pop-ups. Lothar Meggendorfer, who was fascinated by the circus and who used circus images in many of his works, is considered the chief innovator and master craftsman of mechanical toy books. <i>International Circu</i>s is a series of tableaux that pop up and pop out, depicting over 450 figures in the audience and in the ring, and celebrating the joy of circus especially its equestrian acts, acrobats and clowns. The <i>Frankfurter Journal</i> reviewed the original publication in 1887 calling it: 'The most spectacular of Meggendorfer's surprises.. a book that is certain to astound and delight everyone, and which has the added advantage of entertaining all the children at the house at once, and for a long time, with its ingenious action and life-like and humorous presentation'.","physicalDescription":"Pop-up book comprised of six sections, creating an octagonal 19th-century circus when constructed. The interior features hundreds of audience members watching six scenes in the ring: Mr. Funtolo on his horse leaping through a flaming gate; Clara Springel leaping and somersaulting from horseback through a hoop held by a clown; Miss Ella riding her stately horse while clowns have trouble riding a donkey; the Sultan's Courier riding four in hand in The Courier of St. Petersburg act; acrobats of the Oriental Company performing balancing tricks, and the Brabo Family riding bareback on two horses.","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Kestrel Books","id":"AUTH355808"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x28702"},"note":"This book was published by Penguin Books in the UK and by Viking Books in the USA for Kestrel Books. It was produced in Los Angeles, California by Intervisual Communications Inc., and printed in Cali, Columbia"}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"Printing ink","id":"AAT187371"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Printed paper","categories":[{"text":"Circus","id":"THES261738"},{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2020ML9022","2020ML9024","2020ML9020","2020ML9023","2020ML9028","2020ML9019","2020ML9029","2020ML9021","2020ML9026","2020ML9027","2020ML9025"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"006","id":"THES356631"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"pop-up books","id":"AAT201034"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Colombia","id":"x38558"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":"Printed in Cali, Columbia by Carvajal for Intervisual Communications Inc., Los Angeles, California, who produced it for the publishers Penguin Books in the UK and the Viking Press in the USA, who published it for Kestrel Books"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1979","earliest":"1979-01-01","latest":"1979-12-31"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Gabrielle Enthoven Collection","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"33.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"When closed"},{"dimension":"Width","value":"22.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"When closed"},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"50","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"When constructed "}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Reproduction of Lothar Meggendorfer's 1887 pop-up book <i>International Circus</i>. Published by Penguin Books and the Viking Press for Kestrel Books, 1979","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"clowns","id":"AAT25660"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.1-2020"],"accessionNumberNum":"1","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2020,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-05","recordCreationDate":"2020-01-29","availableToBook":true}}