Snapshots of the Past

[Circus clown and elephant] – Antique Print

[Circus clown and elephant] — historic drawing
[Circus clown and elephant]. Historic drawing from the Circus & Carnival collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Step back in time with [Circus clown and elephant], a historic drawing rich in period detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

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[Circus clown and elephant]

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Unlike the photographs that dominate most circus collections, this is a drawing: a clown and an elephant rendered in black ink, gray wash, and opaque white on illustration board. The sheet is undated beyond a range of roughly 1909 to 1931, which places it in the peak years of the American traveling circus, when big tent shows drew large crowds by rail and clowns and performing animals were central to the program. Artists working on illustration board often produced finished drawings for reproduction in magazines, posters, and advertising, so the wash and white highlights may reflect that commercial purpose. The pairing of clown and elephant was a familiar comic and spectacle trope of the period.

Medium1 drawing : black ink, gray wash, and opaque white on illustration board ; 30.7 x 37.6 cm. (sheet)
Notes[between 1909 and 1931]
SubjectsClowns--1900-1940. Elephants--1900-1940.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,211 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-165898

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