Ten years ago, I wrote an eJuggle article titled 10 Female Juggling Stars of the Past. One of the jugglers discussed was Selma Braatz, the earliest female juggling star. At the time I wrote this piece, I only had four photos of her. I now have much greater resources, both online and in my archives, than I did ten years ago. Therefore, I decided to see if I could find more photos of Selma. I was very successful in doing so, and want to share what I found here. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are many thousands of new words.
Selma Braatz (1885 – 1973) was a German juggler carrying on a great tradition of female jugglers in her family. She was trained by her aunts, Welda Braatz and Clara Braatz, who were both successful jugglers. She also was trained by the great gentleman juggler, Salerno.
Born on June 30, 1885, in Berlin, Selma’s familial ties also included her well-known brother, Julius Neumann, who served as the manager and comedic assistant to the renowned juggler Paul Conchas for many years. Selma Braatz made her debut as a juggler on September 28, 1902, at the Corso Theater in Zurich, captivating audiences at the young age of 17. Her uncle shared the stage with her in the same program. Her skillfully crafted performances garnered immediate success, propelling her to prominence month by month, year by year, eventually securing her status as a standout act in the international variety show scene. She performed on five continents.
Following her debut in Zurich, engagements in Ulm, the Battenberg in Leipzig, and the Ronacher in Vienna ensued in 1903. Her journey continued through Budapest, the Hansa Theater in Hamburg, and eventually to England, performing at the Pavilion in London and embarking on the Moss and Stoll tour. From then on, Selma Braatz predominantly graced international stages, earning acclaim as the premier juggler. Her ventures took her to America in 1906, followed by South Africa, British India, and Australia. She returned to the United States and England for extended periods, establishing herself as a celebrated artist.
Among the notable jugglers of her time, including Käthe Gültini, Mary Blank, and Anita Bartling, Selma Braatz stood out as the most widely recognized and internationally acclaimed artist of her kind. She shared close friendships with fellow performers Salerno and Cinquevalli. An article in the American newspaper “Cleveland News” underscored her significance with the bold headline: “Selma wants to beat the Boys” – referring to her ambition to surpass her male colleagues, including Cinquevalli, Salerno, and Kara.
Her act included juggling three tennis balls while balancing a racket, a five ball routine, 6 balls, a routine with a top hat/gloves/umbrella, three color changing torches, two sticks and a woolen ball, and three pool cues. She balanced a billiard ball on a cue stick which she balanced on her forehead while juggling three balls. She would then drop the billiard ball off the cue stick and go into a four ball juggle while still maintaining the balance. She retired in 1937 and moved to the United States in the 1950s.
Most of the previously known photos of Selma did not feature her juggling. Here are some of her posed photos, including many newly discovered ones.
1922
1920
1918
1915
1914
1914
1923
1907
Selma and Clara Braatz
Selma and Clara Braatz
In my article from a decade ago, I included a low resolution poster of Selma with photos so small that you couldn’t make out what she was doing. I now have a high resolution version of this, which provides us with the following wonderful photos, showing us what she performed.
Here are some other photos showing her juggling.
The above photo shows Selma juggling three color-changing Bengali torches. The Museum of Juggling History has one of these Selma Braatz torches on display, which you can see below.
Selma Braatz torch from the Museum of Juggling History
The following article discusses a story involving Selma’s torch juggling.
Here is another article, from 1914, that mentions these novel torches, which they refer to as carriage torches, which they resembled.
I also located three illustrations of Selma Braatz.
Illustration showing many of Selma’s tricks, including a circular Kara Box, shown at top
Selma Braatz, shown juggling Kara and Salerno
Selma Braatz, shown juggling contracts and money
To learn more about Selma Braatz, you can click here to read an article written by fellow juggling historian Esteban Velez.
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).