The Barnum and Bailey greatest show on earth--The world's grandest, largest, best, amusement institution--The great ethnological Congress of curious people ... – 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
The Barnum and Bailey greatest show on earth--The world's grandest, largest, best, amusement institution--The great ethnological Congress of curious people ... comes to life in this vintage poster, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.
The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. 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--The world's grandest, largest, best, amusement institution--The great ethnological Congress of curious people ...
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This poster stands out for its promise of an "ethnological Congress of curious people," a phrase that points to the human exhibits that were a staple of nineteenth-century show business. The Barnum and Bailey circus, formed through the 1881 partnership of P. T. Barnum and James A. Bailey, sold itself with bold claims of being the grandest and largest of its kind, and posters like this one carried that message into towns across the country. The lithograph was printed by the Strobridge Lithographing Company, a Cincinnati firm known for colorful circus posters around 1895. Such displays reflect the era's fascination with the exotic, along with its often troubling habit of presenting people as spectacles.
| Created / published | c1895. |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print (poster) : lithograph, color. |
| Genre | Circus posters American 1890-1900.Lithographs Color 1890-1900. |
| Notes | Copyright by the Strobridge Lith. Co. |
| Subjects | Barnum and Bailey--People--1890-1900. Circuses & shows--1890-1900. Circus performers--1890-1900. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,455 × 1,150 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-219130 |
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