Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 29 1/4 x 38 3/4 in./74.2 x 98.3 cm
Condition: A.
Printer: Strobridge, Cincinnati
Reference: Ref: Circus Posters, 58 & back cover; PAI-LVIII, 29
Key Words: Circus; Animals

Barnum & Bailey / Cleopatra. 1912.
A universe of delight is held within the margins of this astonishingly, impossibly detailed Barnum & Bailey poster from 1912. Clockwise, from upper left: "Presenting This Year The Most Magnificent Free Street Parade Ever Seen," with Austro-Hungarian horse-masters leading a throng of Turks on camels and Indians on elephants; "A Congress of Japan's Strong Men, Gladiators, Swordsmen, Wrestlers, Jiu-Jitsu and Athletic Champions"; "World's Biggest Menagerie"; "The Grandeur and Opulence of Cleopatra's Court"; "A Ballet of 300 Entrancingly Beautiful Dancing Girls" for Cleopatra's Pageant; "Cleopatra...Watching the Approach of the Roman Conqueror Mark Antony"; and "Winston's Remarkable Bare-Back Riding, Juggling, Acrobatic Seals." The top frieze is a border of various circus elements dominated by an elephant’s trunk.