A charmingly illustrated photo album of Bertram Mills Circus on tour in 1938 A largely circus-themed snapshot photograph album following a tour by Bertram Mills Circus around Britain from April to October in 1938. The snapshots usually feature the circus performers backstage, with a few during the show. The leaves are decorated with coloured pen and ink graphics, or beautifully rendered sketches, including a witty vignette of Hitler as a clown. The first few pages show detailed, coloured drawings of the Big Top set up and the Bertram Mills winter quarters at Ascot, rendered in an Art Deco style. Around twenty leaves of the album feature the circus performers, who are often named, in candid snapshots. The rest of the thirty or so leaves are devoted to touristic shots, though these have their own interest and include the Braemar Highland Games and the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow. The album finishes with shots of the circus during the windy weather, which meant they had to cancel a performance in the latter city. A few newspaper cuttings from much later record the sad demise of the circus in the mid-sixties. In sum, a unique and attractive record of the backstage life of a circus on tour in the 1930s, at the height of its popularity. The album belonged to, and the drawings were done by one Ronald Alpe', about whom I could find out very little. There are a few scant references to a 'Ronald Alpe', who was an actor in repertory around this time, but I think here he must have been working on the administration side of the circus, or perhaps married to one of the performers. The quality of his draughtsmanship makes me think he may have been involved in advertising, though that is entirely speculative. History may offer few clues to his identity, but Mr Alpe has left this unique, documentary record of the backstage circus life, enhanced with his charming drawings and decorations. Included are two further albums documenting holidays to Germany in the 1930s, including an excursion to Berchtesgaden, 'Adolf Hitler's mountain home', with additional beautifully-wrought Art Deco stylings by the same Roland Aspe framing the b/w photographs. The circus-related album with patterned leather covers, the binding loose, but holding. The German holiday albums with chipping to the (hand-decorated) paper covers, the front cover of one is detached.