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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1902 Equestrienne Poster: Adam Forepaugh and Sells Bros Enormous Shows Combined
Adam Forepaugh and Sells Bros Enormous Shows Combined Equestrienne (1902) Strobridge Litho Co. - One Sheet This particular one sheet lithograph was first created by Strobridge Litho Co. for the Barnum & Bailey circus in 1894, and reworked in 1900 for the Adam...
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – 2009 – Philadelphia
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Red Unit elephants Asia and Toby get hosed down by a Philadelphia firefighter, May 13, 2009. -Chris Berry
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – 2016 – Providence, RI
Three of the elephants from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus make their final appearance, May 1, 2016 - Providence, Rhode Island. -Chris Berry (Bill Sikes Photo)
Michu Meszaros
After leaving Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey, Michu Meszaros appeared (in costume) as the space alien “ALF” on the NBC sitcom. About the same time the city of Hawthorne, California - where he lived - named its shortest street “Michu Lane.” -Chris Berry
Brooke Shields at the circus
Actress and model Brooke Shields at the Galaxy of Stars Gala during the opening of the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus in Los Angeles in 1982. -Chris Berry
Con Colleano (1899-1973)
Born Corneilius Sullivan in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, Con was seven years old when he first began learning circus skills. By 1910 several members of the family formed a small circus troupe named "The Collinos." The famliy traveled throughout Australia...