The Barnum & Bailey greatest show on earth--the peerless prodigies of physical phenomena and great presentation of marvelous living human curiosities – Historic Reproduction
(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
This rare vintage poster captures The Barnum & Bailey greatest show on earth--the peerless prodigies of physical phenomena and great presentation of marvelous living human curiosities in remarkable detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.
Choose the framed print, ready to hang the day it arrives, or the unframed print for a frame of your own. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.
The Barnum & Bailey greatest show on earth--the peerless prodigies of physical phenomena and great presentation of marvelous living human curiosities
Order a print
Thank you. Your order went through, and a receipt is on its way by email.
Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal
Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.
The wording of this 1899 lithograph promises "peerless prodigies of physical phenomena" and "marvelous living human curiosities," a reminder that the sideshow was once as big a draw as the main ring. The Barnum & Bailey show, formed when Phineas T. Barnum and James A. Bailey combined their circuses in 1881, was among the largest traveling entertainments of its day. The Strobridge Lithographing Company, which printed the poster in Cincinnati and New York, was a leading American firm for bold, multicolor circus advertising in the 1890s. Posters like this were put up ahead of each town stop, so their language was meant to draw a crowd at a glance.
| Created / published | Cin'ti & New York : The Strobridge Litho. Co., 1899. |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print (poster) : lithograph, color. |
| Genre | Circus posters American 1890-1900.Lithographs Color 1890-1900. |
| Subjects | Barnum and Bailey--Exhibitions & displays--1890-1900. Circuses & shows--1890-1900. Human curiosities--1890-1900. Audiences--1890-1900. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,448 × 1,146 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-217340 |
More from the Circus & Carnival collection
Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.
![The Barnum and Bailey greatest show on earth--Imre Kiralfy's Columbus and the discovery of America--Grand romantic and picturesque ballet of 300 beautiful male & female dancers[...] / The Strobridge Lith. Co.](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/6d/6d981c20ac67-400.webp)