3-053-284 - The London Archives (City of London)/Heritage Images

Devil Dancers from "Hagenbeck's World Renowned Ceylonese Exhibition Programme", 1886. Illustration advertising Carl Hagenbeck's Carl Hagenbeck's entertainment, held at the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington. Ceylon was a British colony between 1796 and 1948. Hagenbeck's show featured Ceylonese people as exhibits during the era of the human zoo. The 'Devil Dances' are an attempt to respond to the common belief that certain ailments are caused by unseen hands, and that they should be chased away in order for the patient to be cured.