Step Right Up: Circus and Sideshow Memorabilia
Thu, Sep 3, 2026 11:00AM EDT
![[SWORD SWALLOWER]. Cabinet Photo of a Sword Swallower. Circa 1900.](https://s1.img.bidsquare.com/item/xl/3773/37730824.jpeg?t=1WEFmz)
Lot 216
[SWORD SWALLOWER]. Cabinet Photo of a Sword Swallower. Circa 1900.
Estimate: $200 - $400
Sold for
$300
Sold Price includes BP
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $5 |
| $30 | $10 |
| $100 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
[SWORD SWALLOWER]. Cabinet Photo of a Sword Swallower. New York: Obermuller & Son, ca. 1900. Sepia-toned image of a female performer shown swallowing a large knife. 6 1/2 x 4 1/4".
Likely Melle Clifford, who learned sword swallowing at age 13 from Delno Fritz, Barnum & Bailey’s sword swallower. Clifford toured Europe extensively as well as the United States, including with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey in the circus’s first combined year, 1919, where Houdini saw her perform. She was profiled in Houdini’s Miracle Mongers and Their Methods (1920).
Condition
Toning, staining, fading, bumped corners, and crease through image, but stable.
Available payment options
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