Konttinen wrote: ‘I first came across The Hoppings when the sideshows still boasted such live showpieces as sheep with four horns, giants, dwarfs – and women. The latter were displayed in booths eight feet square: Palace of Continental Dreams, The Nude Look, Vampyre’s Daughter, The Living Half Woman, Fanny by Lamplight, Midnight Madness, Nipper the Stripper.’ This portrayal of an entertainment culture in transition reflects broader changes in post-war Britain, as older forms of popular spectacle began to fade under growing social and political scrutiny.

Founded in the late eighteenth century and originally held in conjunction with Newcastle Races, The Hoppings had by this time become a standalone event – a traditional meeting point for itinerant showpeople from across the country. Konttinen’s photographs document a moment when that tradition still held strong, creating a record of a unique cultural space on the edge of the everyday.