Book Signing with Betsy Golden Kellem

Join us at the Shop at the Collection for a book signing with Betsy Golden Kellem, author of Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the 19th Century Circus. Kellem’s book explores the unusual performing women of the nineteenth century—wire-walkers, bearded ladies, strongwomen, conjoined twins, and more—and how these extraordinary outliers used their variable bodies to shape our modern understanding of gender, culture, and performance.

This signing is presented in conjunction with HNOC’s 2025 New Orleans Antiques Forum: Material Culture of Southern Amusement, coming August 8–10. On Friday, August 8, Kellem will present an engaging session about the history and impact of the circus on American culture. Learn more and get tickets to the Antiques Forum here.

Kellem’s book will be available for purchase at the Shop during the signing. Admission is free and open to the public.