At the turn of the twentieth century, Jewish families could claim an impressive history in circus entertainment. Their trajectory was virtually unpredictable and their social transformation considerable: they had moved from the margins of society to become local patrons; the penniless migrants had been transformed into owners of large estates. Jewish families were pathbreakers in an industry that they stamped with their own distinct vision. No Jewish circus family was more successful than the Blumenfelds. By the first decade of the twentieth century, Blumenfeld directors presided over a circus dynasty that rightfully considered itself an integral part of an exclusive “circus nobility.” The Blumenfeld family's multiple traveling circuses figured among the ten leading circus enterprises of the German Empire. The history of this family in many ways epitomizes the history of German-Jewish circus enterprises. To understand the family's rise to national and international fame, a deeper understanding of its everyday relations within and beyond the circus milieu is needed.

ANCESTORS AND ORIGINS

The ancestors of nineteenth-century German-Jewish circus families, some of whom can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages, worked as magicians, jugglers, tightrope walkers, strong men, and other acrobats. They traveled in large family units, accompanying Jewish doctors or peddlers. In performances at markets and fairs, they entertained their clients with acrobatic stunts and sleight of hand. Most of these so-called Bankisten or Saltimbancos demonstrated their dexterity while standing on an elevated wooden platform, a practice that fostered their particular names.