Joseph (Joe) Jalvan - Juggler

Minstrel troupes were always popular in Australia, and none were more popular than those brought to the country by the remarkable and amazing Orpheus McAdoo.

McAdoo was born a slave in North Carolina, began performing with Loudin's minstrels, and finally became an entrepreneur, touring African American minstrel troupes around the world.

In the 1890s he took his team to South Africa, and on a scouting trip to the US for more talent, he found juggler, Joseph Jalvan.

Joseph was reportedly born in Pensylvania, and worked with McCabes minstrels in Philadephia and Cuba in the early 1890s. In the latter country he was so popular that a fan gave him a diamond pin.

In 1897 he joined McAdoo in South Africa and was very popular there too. However, the prospect of war led McAdoo to decide to take the troupe to Australia and they arrived  in 1898.

Jalvan was a juggler, balancer and magician. He juggled plates, spun tops and balanced pipes, and a live pigeon.

You can see Joseph balancing various objects on top of some clay pipes held in his mouth in the picture below which comes from an Australian newspaper.

During his tour of Australia, Jalvan seems to have had a falling out with his boss and with some other performers started his own touring group, He married a local woman, Catherine Webb and left Australia to continue his juggling career in the United States. He was juggling up to 1929, where he seems to disappear from the records.

Cinquevalli- in NZ archives and more....

It's been a while since I posted here.

But I'm still researching some theatre history when I get the time.

 I received a present for my birthday last month...

A beautiful watercolour of Cinquevalli- I wonder if anybody has information about when or where this painting was produced?

It seems to be based on a photo in the New Zealand archives. 

I am very curious about its provenance and welcome any comments/suggestions.

He was gorgeous wasn't he? 

I went to Berlin and all I got were these (phenomeonal) postcards

Of course on my latest trip to Europe I went postcard hunting. Here are some of the many I picked up.

Most of these are vaudeville performers, and I found these cards at the Tiergarten markets in Berlin.


Below are some postcards of the Kremo family, they were Risley performers (they juggled things and people with their feet) and they visited Australia in 1910.

So from the bottom. Firstly, we have Ferry Mader, who was identified by juggling historian David Cain. You can read David's article about Ferry here.

Above Ferry is a postcard of a man who I think was called Fred Lesando,a musical clown.

Above Fred is Gerdy- Gerda, - I have no idea who this is.

Next we have from the top, Bobby Lang, and below him a lady who balanced plates. There is no name on this one.

Next, a repetition of the Kremos and a postcard of Tommy whose last name is unknown, but it looks like he is using a teapot as a diablo.

Below is the elegante Adoni, he's balancing glasses.

Finally, a page from a 1980 programme from the Hansa theatre in Germany. Yes, we have some club jugglers....

I have many more acquisitions from my latest trip which I will be posting soon.

If you can help with identifying or contributing information about the above photos, please drop a line.