Claire Heliot
Klara Haumann (née Pleßke; 3 December 1866 – 9 June 1953), known professionally as Claire Heliot, was a German lion tamer.[1]
Biography[edit]
Klara Pleßke was born in Halle on 3 December 1866.[2] Her father was a government postal official.
In April 1897, she caused a sensation when she first performed at a zoo in Leipzig. She toured extensively. Accompanied by ten lions, she performed at the London Hippodrome in 1901.[3] In America, Heriot's act was part of A Yankee Circus on Mars, appearing at the New York Hippodrome[3][4] for 20 weeks in 1905 and 1906,[5] and in Chicago in 1906.[3] The high point of her act was carrying her ten-year-old, 159-kilogram (351 lb) lion Sicchi on her back and shoulders.[3] In 1907, a nervous Heliot was attacked by her lions and severely injured while performing at the Circus Orlando in Copenhagen; she was rescued by three attendants.[5] After she retired, she was reported working as a hairdresser in 1930.[3]
She died in Stuttgart on 9 June 1953.[2]
The Heliot restaurant at the Hippodrome Casino in London is named after her.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "Claire Heliot -- Most Daring of Lion Tamers; Of Which One of Her Fourteen Pets Will She Be the Victim? Auguste Is the Only One of Which This Frail but Fearless Little Woman Has Any Misgivings -- Her Exhibition of Trained Lions One of the Most Thrilling Animal Acts Ever Seen. Claire Heliot And Her Lions". The New York Times. 29 October 1905. p. 31. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Labouvie, Eva, ed. (12 November 2018). Frauen in Sachsen-Anhalt 2 (in German). Köln: Böhlau Verlag. p. 216. ISBN 9783412514204. Retrieved 16 May 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e Tait, Peta (7 August 2016). "Dressing for War and Unnatural Poses: Human-Animal Acts at the Turn of the Twentieth Century" (PDF). Humanities Australia. Australian Academy of the Humanities. pp. 28–31.
- ^ June 27, Gwendolien Sabbe; Am, 2019 at 1:50 (26 June 2019). "Claire Heliot". Drinks With Dead People. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Circus News". Variety. July 1907.
- ^ "Bars & Lounge | After Work Drinks London | Perfect Music Cocktails Bar | Hippodrome Casino". Retrieved 2 August 2020.
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