Barrists referred to themselves as “bar artists” or “stick artists.” At one point, Vincent Picard “described…his troupe as “A few stickers on a few sticks.” Bar acts were so difficult that they were often featured among the first acts in a circus.[7] After the Grand Entry, the first acts were traditionally the lady principal (bareback) until the 1950s, then aerial/horizontal bars, and flying trapeze.[8]

The debate about flyers and the horizontal bars is interesting and the Bill Thomas notwithstanding, there is not much evidence that those working the horizontal bars claimed to be flyers. My family called themselves “The Picard Brothers: French Gymnasts.” They also called themselves bar artists or stick artists. Vince Picard, in writing, described he and his troupe as “A few stickers on a few sticks.” The bars were made of fine wood with a steel core and horizontal bars come in two, three or four bar combinations with different heights. They can be either mounted on the floor or hung from an aerial system. According to my cousin John Picard, the horizontal bars were one of the most difficult acts in the circus and required extreme upper body strength. As such it was very visible and the bar acts often opened the circus.

Though the horizoantal bar act came from Germany, it was Americans, though often of immigrant background, who most often performed at the top of their “profession.” Even with nets, which functioned like trampolines, it was very dangerous, particularly since the acts were performed as physical comedy. After World War II, the act almost died out though a few Russian and Eastern European performers kept it alive as I understand it from web sites I have read.