Circus Poster, Barnum and Bailey Circus, The Greatest Show on Earth, 1897
Add to SetSummary
In the late nineteenth century, printers developed a lithograph method that produced brightly colored posters. In advance of a circus coming to town, general agents glued these eye-catching generic posters to building walls, fences, and in window displays. To announce when and where the performances would happen, local printers sometimes provided letterpress paper date strips to paste onto the posters' lower margin.
In the late nineteenth century, printers developed a lithograph method that produced brightly colored posters. In advance of a circus coming to town, general agents glued these eye-catching generic posters to building walls, fences, and in window displays. To announce when and where the performances would happen, local printers sometimes provided letterpress paper date strips to paste onto the posters' lower margin.
Artifact
Poster
Date Made
1897
Creators
Place of Creation
United States, Ohio, Cincinnati
Creator Notes
Printed by Strobridge & Co. Lith., Cincinnati, Ohio.
Keywords
Collection Title
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
35.784.27
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Strobridge Lithographing Co.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Lithography
Color
Multicolored
Dimensions
Height: 40.25 in
Width: 30.25 in
Inscriptions
Printed on poster: BARNUM & BAILEY / GREATEST / SHOW / ON / EARTH. Inscribed below image: Copyright 1897 by The Strobridge Lith Co. Cincinnati & NY Printed in upper right corner of image: 97-B-No.13
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