[Circus performer riding two horses at once]

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A performer standing astride two galloping horses at once is the subject of this c1873 print, a feat known as Roman riding that drew crowds to nineteenth-century circus rings. Trick riders of the period, working bareback, were among the biggest attractions under the big top, and images like this one helped spread their reputation beyond the arena. The record for the print links it to a firm called Gibson & Co., though that attribution is noted as unverified, so the maker and the exact circumstances remain open to research.

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