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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Sells-Floto Circus – 1914 – St. Luis Obispo, CA
On April 17, 1914 the Sells Floto Circus featuring Buffalo Bill paraded through San Luis Obispo, California. Fortunately for us, a snapshot of the event was captured on film. No one then could have imagined that this moment in time would be visible more than 100 years...
Hagenbeck-Wallace – 1934 – St. Louis
Hagenbeck-Wallace visited St. Louis on May 9, 1934 and photographer Charles Trefts positioned himself at the spot where the circus parade would make a u-turn on Market Street and head back to the showgrounds. What a glorious day that must have been, now frozen in...
Sparks Circus
This lithograph from the Chris Berry Collection was used by the Sparks Circus at about the time that John Ringling bought the show as part of his purchase of the American Circus Corporation only a couple of weeks before the stock market crashed in October of 1929....
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – 1966 – Philadelphia
The Greatest Show on Earth arrives in Philadelphia, March 29, 1966. After Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey went into buildings, and prior to “The Spectrum” opening in September 1967, the circus would play the Convention Hall in downtown Philadelphia. -Chris...
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – 1955 -NYC
In 1955 the Ringling-Barnum herd consisted of 52 elephants traveling with the show and three at Sarasota winter quarters - an astounding group of 55 elephants. The magnitude of this army of elephants was captured by New York Times photographer Patrick Burns as they...
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – 1951 – Chicago
The Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey canvas crew setting up in the parking lot of Chicago's Soldier Field, July 18, 1951. - Chris Berry (Charles Cushman Photo)