Gran Circo Payret (Grand Circus Payret)

[Havana / Santa Clara, Cuba]: Quiñones, impresor, undated (c. 1905-1910). 43.8x15.2cm. Broadside printed in black on salmon newsprint. Previously torn horizontally through the center, held together by amateur tape repairs to verso. Large chip across top edge, impacting the ‘O’ in CIRCO and ‘P’ in PAYRET. Tiny nick to lower right corner. Good.

A possibly unrecorded broadside advertising the nightly performances of the Grand Circus Payret, featuring a diverse array of performers. Highlights include the debut of Diavolo in the “never-before-seen Circle of Death,” the champion acrobatic bar-walking Holman Brothers, Ara Cecil and his troupe of five African leopards, celebrated equestrian performer Ella Bradna, and the self-proclaimed “King of the Wire,” Juan A. Kaicedo.

Founded by entrepreneur Joaquín Payret, the Teatro Payret was built in 1877 as a rival to Havana’s popular Teatro Tacón. It was one of Cuba’s first theaters, often referred to as “The Cathedral of Spanish Cinema.” Its construction was repeatedly plagued by disasters, including hurricanes that damaged the building and technical problems that nearly prevented its opening. The theater became a leading venue for opera, concerts, and international performers, despite a fatal structural collapse in 1882 that contributed to Payret’s financial ruin and loss of the property. Under subsequent owners, the theater remained a major cultural institution in Havana through the early 20th century, hosting notable artists and events before closing in the early 2000s due to functional deterioration and lack of maintenance.

A great piece of ephemera showcasing the diversity of the circus in one of Havana’s key cultural institutions of the 20th century.

Price: $200.00

Item #10681