Circus: The Photographs of Frederick W. Glasier

This elegant new volume showcases the rediscovered work of the great American photographer Frederick W. Glasier (1866-1950), who made extraordinary photographs of the American circus during its heyday, 1890-1925. A contemporary of such recognized masters as Eugene Atget in Paris, August Sander in Cologne and Ernest J. Bellocq in New Orleans, Glasier is arguably in that class of the greatest practitioners of the medium. With 73 gloriously reproduced images from the 1,700 existing glass plate negatives from the collections of the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University, informative anecdotal captions by the circus historian (and co-editor of this volume) Deborah W. Walk and a fascinating essay by Luc Sante, this book will establish Glasier in the canon of the great American photographer.