Circus Advertisement
The following is a selected bibliography of books and articles related to circus advertising and promotion.
Advertisement – Promotion and Posters
Flint, Richard. Circus Posters and Show Printers. Oneonta, NY: State University of New York, 1979.
Flint, Richard. “A Great Industrial Art: Circus Posters, Business Ricks, and the Origins of Color Letterpress Printing in America” Printing History No. 50 [Vol. is misnumbered should be Vol. 25, No. 2], 2007.
St. Leon, Mark. Circus in Australia, Printed Ephemera, 1833-2007. A collection of items of printed ephemera, about 200 images, that chronicle and summaries the history of Australian circus. Reproductions of images of Posters, Advertisements, Program covers, Handbills, Tickets, Letterheads, as well as some the activities of Australians overseas. Limited edition.
Promotion
Delaney, Michelle. Art and Advertising in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2019
Dobrow, Joe. Pioneers of Promotion: How Press Agents for Buffalo Bill, P. T. Barnum, and the World’s Columbian Exposition Created Modern Marketing. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2018.
Fellows, Dexter W. and Andrew A. Freeman. This Way to the Big Show: The Life of Dexter Fellows. New York: Viking Press, 1936.
Plowden, Gene. Circus Press Agent: The Life and Times of Roland Butler. Claxton Printers, 1984.
Slout, William L., ed. Ink from a Circus Press Agent. Clipper Studies in Theater, no. 5. San Bernardino, CA: The Borgo Press, 1995. Includes a circus personnel reference roster.
Posters and Banners
Fox, Charles Philip. American Circus Posters in Full Color. New York: Dover Publications, 1978.
Hammer, Carl and Gideon Bosker. Freak Show: Sideshow Banner Art. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 1996.
Niburina, Nina. The Soviet Arts Poster: Theatre, Cinema, Ballet, Circus, 1917 – 1987. New York: Penguin Books, 1990.
Papas, Michael, and Meah, Johnny, Painters of the Peculiar, A Guide to Sideshow Banner Artists and their Respective Work. Michael Pappas Design, 2018. A lavishly illustrated look at the unique work of sideshow banner artists, with perspectives on all of the major artists. Includes a detailed bibliography and index.
Rennert, Jack. 100 Years of Circus Posters. New York: Avon, 1974.
Rennert, Jack. 100 Posters of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. New York: Darien House, 1976.
Smith, Sharon Lee and Stephen J. Fletcher. Life in a Three-Ring Circus: Posters and Interviews. Indiana Historical Society, 2001.
Spangenberg, Kristin L.; Deborah W. Walk, eds., The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithographing Company. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati Art Museum and The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 2011.
Poster Conservation
Cockerline, Neil C. “Ethical Considerations for the Conservation of Circus Posters.” WAAC Newsletter, vol. 17, no. 2, May 1995.