This photo of Clyde and Harriet Beatty was taken in 1945 at the corner of Washington and Hill – the famed Los Angeles showgrounds that will hosted dozens of circuses from the 1890s until 1955. Clyde Beatty gave hundreds of performances at the lot at Washington...
In 1924 George Christy started featuring a spec titled “Noah’s Ark” as part of his show. Not only was it a great way to display the animals in his menagerie, but the religious theme was also a draw to the circus when it was in the Bible-belt. When...
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure… These sideshow tickets from the Hagenbeck-Wallace Forepaugh-Sells Circus of 1935 were never meant to saved and shown to fans of circus history around the world…but here they are, 85 years after...
Collecting trade cards was a popular hobby in the late 19th Century, and although it wasn’t the primary method of advertising, circuses did respond to the craze by issuing a number of fine cards to promote their shows. This particular card was printed by the...
The Mystery of the Poisoned Elephants On the morning of November 5, 1941, the 47 elephants of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey herd did their chores as usual, unloading the circus train and helping to set up the big top on Atlanta’s Highland Avenue...
