From a 1922 newspaper

May Emmeline Wirth (6 June 1894 – 18 October 1978) was an Australian circus and vaudeville performer[1] famous for her ability to do somersaults forwards and backwards on a running horse.[2]

Early life

Wirth was born in Bundaberg, Queensland on 6 June 1894. She was the daughter of a Mauritian circus artist, John Edward Zinga (Despoges) and Dezeppo Marie, née Beaumont.[1]

In 1901, Wirth was adopted by Mary Wirth, an equestrienne and the sister of Wirth's Circus proprietors Philip and George Wirth.[1]

Career

From age 10, With began performing in balancing and equestrian shows in Melbourne and Sydney.

Wirth performed with the Barnum and Bailey circus in the US,[3][4] and was the star of Wirth's Circus in 1916,[5] as the "greatest bareback riding star".[6]

When aged 19, during her second year in the United States, she suffered severe injuries while performing in Brooklyn after her horse shied and she was dragged around the ring when her foot became caught.[2]

She stopped performing in 1937[2] and started living in New York.

Personal life

On 27 November 1919, Wirth married her manager, Frank White[1][2] who adopted her surname. The couple did not have children. She died in Sarasota, Florida in 1978 and was cremated.[1]

Legacy

She was inducted to the Circus Hall of Fame as a bareback rider in 1964.[7]

Wirth and her step-sister appeared on an Australia Post commemorative postage stamp issued on 13 March 1997 commemorating 150 years of circus in Australia.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 St. Leon, Mark (1990). Wirth, May Emmeline (1894-1978). Canberra, Australia: Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "May Wirth: bareback riding queen". ABC Radio National. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  3. ↑ Rogers, Will; Wertheim, Arthur Frank, 1935-; Bair, Barbara, 1955-; Gragert, Steven K; Johansson, M. Jane, 1963- (1996), The papers of Will Rogers, University of Oklahoma Press, ISBN 978-0-8061-3704-9{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "Miss Millionaire Wirth". Molong Argus. NSW. 3 October 1913. p. 10. Retrieved 2 May 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "WIRTH'S CIRCUS". The Sunday Times. Perth. 23 July 1916. p. 11 Section: First Section. Retrieved 2 May 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "It's Safer To Stand On The Horse". The Sunday Herald. Sydney. 12 March 1950. p. 2 Supplement: Features. Retrieved 2 May 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "International Circus Hall of Fame Inductees, Peru Indiana". Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  8. ↑ Australia Post (1997), 150th anniversary of circus in Australia, retrieved 7 February 2017
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