By David Cain
A good deal has been written about the famed Gentleman Juggler Salerno. You can click here and here to read some of my previous articles about him. Today, we’ll examine some articles and reviews of him from the early 1900s.
First, we have an article from the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette from 1906. It refers to him as growing up in Paris and serving in the French military. This is contrary to information in his obituary, which is included at the end of the first link above. We know he was born in Prussia and considered himself German, owning a home outside of Berlin.
Here is a review from the Boston Evening Transcript from 1906. It is a rare review that has some negative statements about him, although it does also state many positives as well, praising his picture frame trick and his wine bottle handstand trick.
The following article is from the Minneapolis Star Tribune from 1908. It includes a discussion of a $1000 challenge to equal one of his tricks, which translates to a little over $30,000 in 2025 value. It also discusses Salerno juggling six balls while bouncing a ball on his head, which he claims took eight years to learn.
From 1908, we have the following article from the Indianapolis Star. He speaks of himself, Kara, and Cinquevalli being the three greatest jugglers in the world.
Finally, we have a review that appeared in the Sioux City Journal in 1912. It mentions his famous pistol trick.
These articles and reviews give us a clearer glimpse into what this iconic juggler did and how he felt about his art.
David Cain
David Cain is a professional juggler, juggling historian, and the owner of the world's only juggling museum, the Museum of Juggling History. He is a Guinness world record holder and 16 time IJA gold medalist. In addition to his juggling pursuits, David is a successful composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer as well as the author of twenty-six books. He and his children live in Middletown, OH (USA).