Koringa - 13624

Exotic Circus and stage performer, real name Renée Bernard; advertised as the “Only Female Fakir in the World.” According to the publicity issued by Mills Brothers Circus, where she performed from 1937 onwards, Koringa was a native of India who was raised by fakirs in Bikanir after being orphaned at the age of three. It was from them that she purportedly learned the arts of sorcery and magic, including the ability to mesmerize, walk over broken glass with her bare feet, and be buried in a snake-infested sand pit. She was actually born in Bordeaux, and was discovered by the Mills brothers working in a small touring circus in France in 1937, where they were amazed to see her dancing barefoot on a ladder of razor-keen sword blades. By 1938, she was the leading act for Mills Brothers, appearing in Blackpool at the legendary Tower Circus, touring France with Cirque Pinder, and South Africa with Boswell's Koringa performed alongside four female assistants, all dressed in Eastern costumes, and five live crocodiles, the largest named Churchill. She startled her audience with her ability to walk on the heads of allegedly “hypnotized” crocodiles in a specially designed tank whilst wearing a necklace of live serpents. Her stage persona was extraordinary – she had wild afro-styled hair and other-worldly green make-up. Koringa was the headline star at many major international European circuses until she stopped touring in 1960. Her sense of style, elaborate costumes, and magnetic stage presence remained a feature of her shows until her retirement in France in 1968. This is a very fine vintage 1930s sepia photograph (7" x 5"), boldly signed in French in dark blue ink across the image - "Souvenir de Koringa. mon bon capain (my good friend)". One tiny tan mark in the extreme left margin but otherwise in very good condition. RARE The original collector lived in Blackpool so this photograph was obviously obtained when Koringa was appearing in the Blackpool Tower Circus in the 1930s.