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The Barnum and Bailey greatest show on earth--Chaste, charming, weird & wonderful supernatural illusions ... created by Roltair, the magician – Antique Print

The Barnum and Bailey greatest show on earth--Chaste, charming, weird & wonderful supernatural illusions ... created by Roltair, the magician, c1898. — vintage poster
The Barnum and Bailey greatest show on earth--Chaste, charming, weird & wonderful supernatural illusions ... created by Roltair, the magician, c1898.. Vintage poster 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 The Barnum and Bailey greatest show on earth--Chaste, charming, weird & wonderful supernatural illusions ... created by Roltair, the magician, a vintage poster rich in period detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

Order it framed and ready to hang, or unframed to match a frame you already love. It makes a striking addition to a living room, study or office, and a thoughtful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

The Barnum and Bailey greatest show on earth--Chaste, charming, weird & wonderful supernatural illusions ... created by Roltair, the magician

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Roltair, the stage magician, takes center billing on this Barnum and Bailey poster, which promises "chaste, charming, weird and wonderful supernatural illusions." Strobridge Lithographing Company of Cincinnati and New York printed many of the large color sheets that advertised traveling circuses in the 1890s, when a big show might add a magic act alongside its equestrian and aerial numbers. Stage magic was hugely popular then, drawing on public fascination with ghosts and vanishings, so the wording sells mystery as much as spectacle. Posters like this were pasted on barns, fences and storefronts ahead of each town stop.

Created / publishedc1898.
Medium1 print (poster) : chromolithograph, color.
GenreCircus posters American 1890-1900.Chromolithographs Color 1890-1900.
NotesCopyright by the Strobridge Litho. Co., Cincinnati and New York.
SubjectsRoltare, Charles. Barnum and Bailey--People--1890-1900. Circuses & shows--1890-1900. Circus performers--1890-1900. Magic--1890-1900.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,459 × 1,155 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-219048

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