Omaha native Paulette Braun was a baton twirler, juggler and wire walker who performed with the circus and appeared as a halftime entertainer with the Harlem Globetrotters before beginning a second career as a professional animal photographer.
Braun performed during an era when circus entertainers often developed several specialty skills. Surviving photographs show her performing with juggler Ron Perry, while circus trade publications document her work as a wire walker.
Braun remained connected to the circus community after her performing career ended. Circus Report mentioned her in September 1987 in connection with her earlier wire-walking career and her work in photography. She appeared again in the publication’s “People” column in February 1988.
By then, Braun had established Pets by Paulette, a professional photography business specializing in animals. Her work became well known in the dog-show community and appeared in breed publications, calendars and other commercial products.
The 1989 All Toy Calendar, for example, featured 13 studio photographs by Braun. She continued photographing show dogs and major competitions into the 1990s and also became an author, writing about dogs and pet care.
Braun maintained a collection of material from her years in the entertainment business. Albums belonging to Braun and her husband later surfaced with a larger collection of circus memorabilia that included photographs, posters and material associated with Ringling Bros., the Wallendas and other performers. The collection was offered at auction in 2025.
Braun died Dec. 23, 2021, in Sarasota County, Florida.
Her career provides a glimpse into the working lives of mid-century circus twirlers, whose performances frequently extended beyond baton twirling. In Braun’s case, those skills included juggling and wire walking before she ultimately traded performing in front of crowds for a career behind the camera.
The Vintage Twirler conducted extensive research through newspaper, circus, Harlem Globetrotter and Nebraska archives for this article. We had no luck finding pictures of Braun twirling for the Harlem Globetrotters and no pictures of her performing with the circus. If you or anyone you know has pictures of Braun during her twirling career, we would be interested in purchasing them. Also, AI assisted with organization and editing of this article.
