www.loc.gov/item/2021670512
•Circus Midway Scene.
Summary
•This 1935 photograph shows a crowd gathering on the midway of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, heading towards the entrance marquee tent. On the left is the painted banner line depicting freaks and attractions in the sideshow, an added fee attraction operating before the main show. On the right can be seen concession tents and ticket wagons. Visible behind the marquee entrance is the "free" menagerie tent consisting of the exhibition of exotic caged animals, elephants, and other lead stock. By the 1930s, the midway had become an important part of the American circus experience. Based in Peru, Indiana, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was at one time the second-largest circus in America, after the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Its origins went back to famed animal trainer Carl Hagenbeck (1844--1913), whose Carl Hagenbeck Circus was bought by Benjamin Wallace in 1907. The circus ceased operations in 1938.
Names
•Atwell, Harry A., 1879-1957 Photographer.
Created / Published
•[place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1935.
Headings
•- United States of America
•- 1935
•- Circus
•- Circus performers
•- Crowds
•- Entertainers
•- Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus
Digital Id
•https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.10698
Library of Congress Control Number
•2021670512
LCCN Permalink
•https://lccn.loc.gov/2021670512
Tags: Vintage History Black and white black and white photographs black and white photos old photos old photographs circus performers acrobats Ringling Brothers Elephants
© All Rights Reserved
www.loc.gov/item/2021670511/
Title
•Back Door Scene at the American Circus.
Summary
•In the American circus, the area directly behind the circus tent or arena where performers prepared for and staged their entrances through the "back door" came to be known as the "backyard." This glass-plate negative from 1928 reveals a typical backyard scene of an American circus just prior to performance of the spectacular production number. The spectacle, or "spec," was a procession that took place around the hippodrome track inside the big top, or circus tent, featuring as many of the performers and animals as the circus director was able to costume. Traced back to the earliest circuses in America, the spec was originally a lavish performance of literary or historical tales intended to entertain and edify the audience. Shown here are caparisoned horses poised to enter the big top, followed by a costumed elephant. The stakes and guide ropes essential to keeping the tent erect are visible. The photograph is by Harry A. Atwell (1879--1957), an official photographer of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Names
•Atwell, Harry A., 1879-1957 Photographer.
Created / Published
•[place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1928.
Headings
•- United States of America
•- 1928
•- Animals
•- Circus
•- Circus performers
•- Elephants
•- Entertainers
•- Horses
•- Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows
Digital Id
•https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.10697
LCCN Permalink
•https://lccn.loc.gov/2021670511
Tags: Vintage History Black and white black and white photographs black and white photos old photos old photographs circus performers acrobats Ringling Brothers Elephants
© All Rights Reserved
www.loc.gov/item/2021670517/
Title
•Ringling Circus Winter Quarters, Sarasota, Florida.
Summary
•John Ringling (1866--1936), one of the seven Ringling brothers who dominated the development of the American circus in the late 19th and early 20th century, moved the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from its original quarters in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Sarasota, Florida. Ringling's vision, as recalled by Fred Bradna, equestrian director for the show, in his book The Big Top, was to "lay out the quarters like a zoo, and thousands of visitors will pay to see it. I'll build an open-air arena exactly the size of Madison Square Garden, and on Sunday the acts can practice before an audience... Sarasota will become one of the most beautiful cities in Florida." On Christmas Day 1927, the new winter quarters opened its doors to visitors. Families could see circus rehearsals as well as animals from all over the world at what was one of Florida's top tourist attractions at that time. Sarasota became the center of the American circus, immortalized in Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 Academy Award-winning film The Greatest Show on Earth, and the home to many circus artists and families, including the Concellos, the Wallendas, and Emmett Kelly. This 1933 photograph depicts a small boy with a circus zebra at the Sarasota quarters.
Created / Published
•[place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1933-02-07.
Headings
•- United States of America--Florida--Sarasota
•- 1933-04-07
•- Children
•- Circus
•- Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows
•- Zebras
Digital Id
•https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.11201
LCCN Permalink
•https://lccn.loc.gov/2021670517
Tags: Vintage History Black and white black and white photographs black and white photos old photos old photographs circus performers acrobats Ringling Brothers Elephants
© All Rights Reserved
A blind child in Chicago sits on the back of a kneeling elephant from the Ringling Brothers Circus in April 1917. CNN
Via:
historycollection.com/historic-photographs-of-the-greates...
Tags: Vintage History Black and white black and white photographs black and white photos old photos old photographs circus performers acrobats Ringling Brothers Elephants
© All Rights Reserved
www.loc.gov/item/2021670647/
Title
•Erecting the Big Top, Cole Bros. Circus, 1937.
Summary
•This image from the 1930s shows the Cole Bros. Circus setting the side poles in preparation for erecting the big top tent, a scene that was common at every American circus at that time. In the background can be seen another tent, already set up. Alternating United States and Cole Bros. flags are flying at the top of the six center poles. Cole Bros. Circus was established in 1884 by William Washington Cole (1847--1915) as "W.W. Cole's New Colossal Shows." In the 1930s, when this photograph was taken, the circus was known for its giant street parade from the railroad yard to the circus grounds. The photograph is by Harry A. Atwell (1879--1957), an official photographer of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Names
•Atwell, Harry A., 1879-1957 Photographer.
Created / Published
•[place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1937.
Headings
•- United States of America
•- 1937
•- Circus
•- Circus performers
•- Cole Brothers Circus
•- Entertainers
•- Flags
•- Spectators
•- Tents
Digital Id
•https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.11972
LCCN Permalink
•https://lccn.loc.gov/2021670647
Tags: Vintage History Black and white black and white photographs black and white photos old photos old photographs circus performers acrobats Ringling Brothers Elephants
© All Rights Reserved