A Series of New and Most Astonishing Feats by The Best Trained & Greatest Herd Performing Elephants, circa 1890
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
circa 1890
Subject Date
circa 1890
Creators
Place of Creation
United States, Ohio, Cincinnati
Creator Notes
Printed by Strobridge & Co. Lith., Cincinnati, Ohio.
Collection Title
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
35.784.158
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
Circus poster printed at top: THE BARNUM & BAILEY GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH Printed at bottom: A Series of New and Most Astonishing Feats by The Best Trained & Greatest Herd of Performing ELEPHANTS. / Executing Difficult Tricks With the Ease, Grace, Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings. / A Wonderful Display of Brute Intelligence and Reason, Positively As Represented. / THE WORLD'S GRANDEST, LARGEST, BEST, AMUSEMENT INSTITUTION Inscribed lower off center: THE STROBRIDGE LITH CO. Cin. N-Y & Lon. Printed upper right on image: B-8