In the Lion’s Den

Vintage circus acts delighted and entertained huge audiences with their spectacular feats and dangerous acts. Circus performers would often perform with real wild animals under the big top, for better or worse. This photo is a little odd because the clown in this photo is facing off with what is very obviously a human dressed like a lion. 

If this guy’s costume looks too realistic, that’s because it is. He’s wearing a taxidermied lion head that covers the top half of his body. There’s no way that headdress was easy to move around in! It’s safe to assume that this was a comedy act. If you look closely enough, you can see the delighted faces of the audience in the background.