The Victorian era brought changes that reached far beyond England’s borders. In fact, England’s borders also reached far beyond what we now know as England’s borders.

The unusually pleasant British summer is drawing to a close: beaches are emptying, ice-cream parlors are shutting up shop and the pleasure arcades are subsiding into an eerie, post-vacation silence.

Performing pigs, magic tricks, hypnotism, circus arts, pantomime and other popular forms of entertainment during the Victorian era are the focus of a new exhibition on view at the British Library ...