Circus Poster, Forepaugh & Sells Brothers Circus Presents "The Ten Peerless Potters, the Greatest Aerialists on Earth," 1901

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Artifact Overview

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 Details

Artifact

Poster

Date Made

1901

Creator Notes

Printed by Strobridge & Co. Lith., Cincinnati, Ohio.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

35.784.202

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: FOREPAUGH & SELLS BROTHERS / ENORMOUS / SHOWS UNITED / J.A. Bailey. W.W. Cole. Lewis Sells & Peter Sells: Equal Owners. / THE TEN / PEERLESS / POTTERS Printed at bottom: TEN PEERLESS POTTERS - GREATEST AERIALISTS ON EARTH FIRST TIME / FOR THE ONLY TEN MID-AIR STARS TO BE SEEN IN ONE GRAND ACT / ENTIRELY NEW AND STARTLING GYMNIC SENSATION.