Film Archive
Australian circus artists appeared in an American newsreel as early as 1903 and in a Hollywood silent feature film as early as 1913. Unfortunately, no examples of these films appear to have survived the years.
Many other films of Australian circus and circus performers, known to have been taken in the early 1900s, have been lost or destroyed.
Fortunately, footage of Australian circus and circus performers, taken as far back as the 1920s, has survived. Some footage is found in newsreels, home movies and television archives.

Ashton
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The Seven Ashtons – Risley Acrobats
Circa. 1955 | USA
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The Seven Ashtons
Circa. 1960 | USA
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The Ashtons – Billy Smarts Circus
Circa. 1975 | UK
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The Warrens – Australian Acrobats
1994 | Australia
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The Warrens – Australian Acrobats
1994 | Australia
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Con Colleano – Australian Tightwire Wizard
Circa. 1939 | USA
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Con Colleano – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Circa. 1929 | USA
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Con Colleano – Home movies
Circa. 1929 & 1939 | USA
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Con Colleano – A life commemorated
2005 | AU
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Winnie Colleano – Trapeze
Circa. 1939 | USA
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Con Colleano – Short Documentary
1994 | AU
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Con Colleano – Cole Bros Circus
Circa. 1950 | USA
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Colleano Family
Circa. 1939 | UK
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Con Colleano – Cirque Medrano
Circa. 1936 | FR
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Con Colleano – Cole Bros Circus
Circa. 1949 | USA
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Australia’s Colleano Family in Colour
Circa. 1930-36
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COLLEANO FOOTAGE – NFSA Promotional Clip
Circa. 1920s – 1940s
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The Colleano Heart
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St Leon Troupe – Unknown
Circa. 1959 | USA
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St Leon Troupe – The Australian acrobats
Circa. 1949 | USA
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St Leons – Wirths Circus
1951 | AU
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St Leons – Sole Bros Circus
1949 | NZ
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Honey Family | Coney Island
1926 | USA
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The Honey Girls | Acrobatic quartette
1956 | USA
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Honey Family | Movie ‘State Fair’
1933 | USA
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Honey Family| Newsreel
Circa. 1934 | AU
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Wirths Circus
Circa. 1954 | AU
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Wirths Circus & Zoo | Brisbane
Circa. 1934 | AU
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Wirths Circus | Departure to New Zealand
Circa. 1954 | AU
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Wirths Circus | Olympia Melbourne
Circa. 1934 | AU
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Wirths Circus & Zoo | Unloading
Circa. 1953 | NZ?
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Wirths Circus
1951 | AU
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May Wirth
Circa. 1924 | USA
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May Wirth, Hollywood Screen Test
1917 | USA
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Wirths Circus & Zoo | Elephant Unloading
Circa. 1953 | AU
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Wirths Circus | Mount Morgan, QLD
Circa. 1953 | AU
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Codonas | Polly of the Circus
Circa. 1932 | USA
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Codonas | With Australian Vera Bruce
Circa. 1932 | USA
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Codonas | Wintergarten Berlin
Circa. 1925 | DE
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Japanese Acrobats | Risley & Foot Juggling
Circa. 1904 | JP
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Caicedo| Columbian Tightrope Walker
Circa. 1894 | CO
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Lillian Leitzel | Aerial Gymnast
Circa. 1929 | USA
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Julians Troupe Acrobats
Circa. 1902
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“Jandy” Jandaschewsky, musical clown
Circa 1960 | Australia
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Truxa – featuring tight wire artist, Edgar Eitner
1937 | Germany
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Napier & Yvonne
Circa. 1920 | AU
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Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
1902
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Gaston Palmer
1937
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Gaston Palmer
1939
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Gaston Palmer
1941
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