Jules Léotard

Jules Léotard (1838–1870) was a French acrobat who developed and popularized the flying trapeze act. His surname became the name of the close-fitting garment worn by performers.

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Flying trapeze: An aerial performance in which an acrobat swings from a trapeze and transfers through the air to another bar or catcher. Léotard became famous for demonstrating this form of aerial transfer.
Toulouse: A city in southern France and the birthplace of Jules Léotard. Léotard was born there in 1838.
Philip Astley: An English equestrian who founded a permanent circus in London in 1768. Astley’s ring-based circus predates the aerial spectacle Léotard made famous.
Leotard: A close-fitting one-piece garment covering the torso, worn in dance, gymnastics, and performance. The garment took its name from Léotard, though the costume associated with him was not necessarily identical.
Trapeze: A short horizontal bar suspended by two ropes, used in circus and aerial performance. The apparatus on which Léotard built his signature act.
École des Beaux-Arts: A French institution of higher education in the fine arts, based in Paris. Léotard studied law after attending this Paris art school.
J. H. Anderson: A Scottish magician and theatrical impresario known as the Great Wizard of the North. Anderson helped bring Léotard’s act to British audiences.
The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze: An 1867 music-hall song by George Leybourne celebrating a daring aerial performer. The song’s popular image of the flying-trapeze artist drew on Léotard’s fame.
Catch trapeze: A trapeze used by a catcher to receive a flying performer during an aerial transfer. A catcher's bar can replace a fixed bar as the destination of a flyer’s release.
Cirque Napoléon: A Paris circus opened in 1852, later known as the Cirque d’Hiver. Léotard made his Paris flying-trapeze debut there in 1859.