By the time that this lithograph was printed in about 1907, the John Robinson title had already been used for some 65 years, and three generations of “John Robinsons” had managed the show. The first John Robinson was born in 1807 and by the time he was 15 years old he...
“Owner Bills” such as this were often used by circuses in the late 1800s and early 1900s to instill trust in products, much in the same way that the Smith Bros and patent medicines put portraits on boxes of cough drops and over the counter remedies. The theory was...
In 1921 Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey added – for the FIRST time under the “Combined” title, wild animal acts – and there were a lot of them! The first several acts of of the show featured a variety of animal trainers with a variety of...
As early as 1931, Dorothy Herbert was taking her horse Satan across burning hurdles while blindfolded, but each season she pushed herself harder with even more spectacular stunts. In 1935, she presented an act that she later said was the most difficult thing she ever...
It is difficult for us today to understand the importance the horse had in 19th Century America – and when the circus came to town horses were an attraction similar to the big automobile shows of today. Instead of 40 horses pulling the Two Hemispheres Bandwagon,...
Just spell my name right! This rather scarce and attractive window card was used to promote the double repeating cannon act on the Cole Bros Circus of 1949. The poster features the image of Donaldo and Silvana Zacchini – although they are billed (and incorrectly...
