Blondin - Artistry on a Rope 1

Blondin - Artistry on a Rope 1 - Blondin sculpture

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Now: Sculpture of Blondin over Victoria Avenue

Google Street View, 2015

Then: Blondin crossing the Niagara gorge

Blondin on his tightrope

Blondin with his balancing pole, from

Blondin and his camera, as rendered in

Blondin, his sack, and his aerial acrobatics, as rendered in

Life-sized sculpture of Blondin above Victoria Avenue

The life-sized sculpture of Blondin is suspended - appropriately enough - on a tightrope over Victoria Avenue, 50m northeast of the intersection with Centre Street and Clifton Hill, in front of Louis Tussaud's Waxworks.

Listen to the audio clip on this page as Sherman Zavitz tells of Blondin's early life and aspirations to conquer the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope.

To hear the rest of Blondin's story, head southwest from the Blondin sculpture along Victoria Avenue for 50 metres, towards the busy tourist street of Clifton Hill. Turn left on Clifton Hill, and walk down the hill towards the Niagara Parkway. Cross the Niagara Parkway to the sidewalk along the Niagara River and make your way to the edge of the Niagara Gorge.

Sources

Banks, G. Linnaeus (editor). 1862. Blondin: His Life and Performances. Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, London and New York.

Livius. 2015.156 years ago today, the first man crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope. The History Blog. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/date/2015/06

Zavitz, Sherman. 2000. Niagara Falls: dramatic true stories from Niagara's remarkable past. Audio CD. Niagara Falls Public Library. https://live.nflibrary.ca/eg/opac/record/126356?query=zavitz%20dramatic

Blondin sculpture - 5709 Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls, ON

Niagara Falls Then and Now
A collaborative project
Niagara Falls Museums - Niagara Falls Public Library - Dept. of Geography and Tourism Studies,Brock University.
Original newspaper series by Sherman Zavitz, Official Historian for the City of Niagara Falls from 1994 - 2019.

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