PAI-LVIII: Rare Posters

Barnum and Bailey / Greatest Show on Earth. 1915.

Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 27 1/2 x 37 in./70 x 94 cm
Condition: A-/ Unobtrusive folds. Framed.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference:
Key Words: circus

Barnum and Bailey / Greatest Show on Earth. 1915.
With a host of international flags crowning the tents behind them, we are given a classic image of the circus with the founding fathers -- Barnum & Bailey -- pictured in cameos.

artist

ANONYMOUS

Barnum & Bailey / La Roche. 1896.

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Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 28 3/4 x 38 7/8 in./73 x 98.6 cm
Condition: B/ Tears at folds & edges. Framed.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference: Ref: Fox-Parkinson, p. 261; Phillips VIII, 44
Key Words: circus

Barnum & Bailey / La Roche. 1896.
A curious act in which La Roche rolls himself down a precarious, un-railed spiral runway and back up again without the aid of sight or a motor. Text in French.

artist

ANONYMOUS

Sold $2,040

Barnum & Bailey / Grand Ethnological Congress. 1894.

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Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 75 3/4 x 29 7/8 in./192.4 x 75.8 cm
Condition: B/ Tears at folds; restored slight loss at left margin. Framed.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference:
Key Words: circus animals

Barnum & Bailey / Grand Ethnological Congress. 1894.

artist

ANONYMOUS

Sold $1,920

Barnum & Bailey / Oriental India. 1896.

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Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 74 7/8 x 29 5/8 in./190.2 x 75.2 cm
Condition: B+/ Slight tears at folds & seam.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference: Ref: PAI-XLVI, 46
Key Words: circus ethnic

Barnum & Bailey / Oriental India. 1896.
Easily able to stand as two separate posters, this heavily detailed two-sheet horizontal image showcases “a series of views of Eastern home life & occupations revealed to Christian eyes in living groups of strange & curious people.”

artist

ANONYMOUS

Sold $1,440

Barnum & Bailey / Wild Moors. 1889.

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Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 29 1/4 x 78 in./74.3 x 198 cm
Condition: B+/ Slight tears at folds & seams. Framed.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference: Ref: Strobridge, 48
Key Words: circus horses ethnic

Barnum & Bailey / Wild Moors. 1889.
“Building upon the success of the Congress of Nations pageant that opened his show in 1874, P.T. Barnum developed the Ethnological Congress of Strange and Savage Tribes in 1883. Here the Barnum & London circus brought together from all corners of the globe exotic peoples rarely seen outside of their homelands. Located in the menagerie tent, the Ethnological Congress displayed the living wonders of the world and was seen as adding an educational component to the entertainment of the circus” (Strobridge, p. 188).

artist

ANONYMOUS

Sold $2,400

Barnum & Bailey / Congrès de Curiositès. 1900.

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Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 28 3/8 x 76 1/4 in./72 x 193.7 cm
Condition: B+/ Slight tears at folds & seam. Framed.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference: Ref: Strobridge, 30 (var)
Key Words: circus sideshow

Barnum & Bailey / Congrès de Curiositès. 1900.
In detailed tableaux of no fewer than 27 ‘freaks,’ this amazing two-sheet poster commemorates all things bizarre on view at the Barnum & Bailey Circus. This is the French language variant of the image.

artist

ANONYMOUS

Sold $3,120

Barnum & Bailey / Colossale Ménagerie. 1901.

Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 29 3/8 x 77 in./75.2 x 195.8 cm
Condition: B-/ Slight tears at folds & edges.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference:
Key Words: circus animals

Barnum & Bailey / Colossale Ménagerie. 1901.
Showing off an array of lesser-known but highly exotic wildlife, this two-sheet poster does a fantastic job celebrating Barnum & Bailey’s ‘colossale ménagerie.’ This is the French-language version of the poster.

artist

ANONYMOUS

Barnum & Bailey / Zebras. ca. 1892.

Sold

Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 37 x 29 in./94 x 73.5 cm
Condition: A-/ Unobtrusive vertical fold. Framed.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference:
Key Words: circus horses

Barnum & Bailey / Zebras. ca. 1892.
Images such as this with the founders’ cameos are especially collectible.

artist

ANONYMOUS

Sold $2,880

Barnum & Bailey / Swiftest Runner. ca. 1892.

Sold

Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 38 1/4 x 30 1/8 in./97.2 x 76.5 cm
Condition: B+/ Slight tears at vertical fold. P.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference:
Key Words: circus horses

Barnum & Bailey / Swiftest Runner. ca. 1892.
“A supreme effort for a genuine cash prize. Earnestly contested race between the swiftest runner and the fleetest thorough-bred, ridden by an exprt jockey.”

artist

ANONYMOUS

Sold $1,200

Barnum & Bailey / Strange and Savage Tribes. 1895.

Description

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 39 3/4 x 30 1/8 in./101 x 76.6 cm
Condition: B/ Tears & stains, largely at vertical fold.
Printer: Strobridge Litho, Cincinnati
Reference:
Key Words: circus ethnic

Barnum & Bailey / Strange and Savage Tribes. 1895.
Part of Barnum & Bailey’s Grand Ethnological Congress, the Strange & Savage Tribes was a heavily-featured part of the traveling circus. It incorporated the use of an exotic menagerie alongside ethnic peoples from those areas, including the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. As this was the era of colonialism and mass immigration into America, such displays of other cultures were a huge draw.

artist

ANONYMOUS

Description

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