Under the Marquee
Under the Marquee is your best source for the latest developments in circus history! Circus history is the focus of our blog and our e-newsletter, the Advance Car. Content is curated and vetted by knowledgeable circus historians.
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Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, historical and biblical spectacles were seen on many circuses. At that time some clergy still considered traveling shows to be immoral, and by embracing a biblical theme the ministers had to at least acknowledge that the...
Lulu Adams
Lulu Adams was one of the first female clowns on Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey. She is seen pictured here with her husband Albert, who she performed with both in Europe and in the late 1930s in the United States on Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey. After...
The Terror is Coming!
In the early spring of 1938 New Yorkers were seeing enormous posters with only four words “The Terror is Coming” It was a teaser campaign for Gargantua, the fierce gorilla that John Ringling North had acquired a few months before. Gargantua, along with big game hunter...
Rediscovered!
Over the past few years several vintage circus billpostings - "daubs" - have been uncovered as remodeling or demolition is done on buildings throughout the United States. This Ringling Bros daub from 1910 was uncovered in 2007 in the tiny farming town of Vincent,...
Bert Nelson
Bert Nelson (Cardbert Nelson Snyder) learned how to train big cats at the Selig Zoo in Los Angeles before taking out his own wild animal act, both in vaudeville and circuses. He also appeared in early silent films and as a stunt double in Tarzan movies of the 1930s. A...
Faded Grandeur!
Scenes such as this were a common sight in rural America a century ago. This photo, of a nice daub outside of Evansville, Indiana, dates from 1921, probably taken a few weeks after The Greatest Show on Earth visited the town. The billposters found enough space for a...