[CIRCUS HISTORY] Mr. Fred Lindsay

[Circa 1910]. Photolithographic postcard, 137 x 87 mm, printed caption beneath image; original signature in ink of ‘Fred Lindsay’ across the lower section of the image; verso with the imprint of the photographer and publisher ‘Wills, Photo., Cardiff’; in excellent condition.

‘Fred Lindsay’ was the stage name of Bendigo-born and Wesley College (Melbourne) educated stock whip expert Holman James (1874-1946), brother of the Australian author Winifred James (1876-1941). With his horse, stock whip, and flamboyant moustache, Fred Lindsay the showman entertained British audiences prior to the First World War, becoming world famous for his stock whip-cracking feats. He later rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian army.