Poster: Great London Circus & Sangers Royal British Menagerie, 1879
P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show On Earth, The Great London Circus, And Sanger's Royal British Menagerie (associated with)
Discovery Museum and Planetarium (previously owned by)
Discovery Museum and Planetarium (previously owned by)
1879 (Date manufactured/created)
47.5 inches H
X
77 inches W
Very large circus poster, advertising the Great London Circus & Sangers Royal British Menagerie and Great International Allied Shows with which P. T. Barnum was associated although it pre-dates the Barnum & Bailey enterprise. The poster is composed of multiple sheets joined together, and features a variety of detailed scenes including an annotated map of the world, numerous illustrations of elephants, bareback riders, an electric light machine, and circus trains and tents. The pyramid of elephants and electric light machine images were also used to create a smaller poster, of which the Barnum Museum has an example. This complex and colorful poster dates to 1879, copyrighted by A. A. Stewart, and was printed by Strobridge & Co. Lithographers, whose offices were in Cincinnati, Ohio, and New York City. The company was known for the quality of their color lithography, and they created many of Barnum's circus posters. This poster is 77" wide and 47 1/2" high, and is composed of four sheets glued together. Since the imagery is highly detailed and there is abundant text, it seems unlikely that this poster would have been mounted where it would only be seen at a distance. Its exact use is unknown.
Transferred Gift of the Discovery Museum
2020.003.001