Ella Bradna, Equestrian, circa 1903
Born in Bohemia, Ella Bradna traveled with her father’s circus and trained as a bareback rider where her grace and beauty became the hallmark of her act. During the European tour of Barnum & Bailey, James A. Bailey saw Bradna perform and contracted her for the 1903 season of the show as a “champion female principal bareback equestrian act.”
She remained with the Barnum & Bailey and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey shows for over forty years.
