Sparks Circus – Jessica Martin

Sparks Circus – Jessica Martin

People, Posters

Jessica Martin was a young tightrope artist in the 1920s whose skills and beauty were no doubt the reason the Sparks Circus commissioned his gorgeous one sheet about 1928. When Jessica  graduated from high school in South Philadelphia in 1923, the “class...
Barnum & Bailey Circus – 1903

Barnum & Bailey Circus – 1903

Animals, Circuses, Elephants

Frozen in Time. Frederick Glasier took this terrific photo of the Barnum & Bailey trains unloading, probably in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1903. Note the detail, and this is without a telephoto lens! -Chris Berry (Original negative at The Ringling Museums in...
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – 1956

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – 1956

Circuses, Clowns, Posters

Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Poster – Philadelphia This familiar poster of clown Felix Adler in alternative makeup was used during the final appearance that Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey made under canvas in Philadelphia in the spring of 1956....