A poster collector recently picked up the following two-sheet poster in Sweden: The owner of this beautiful, vintage circus poster has been unable to track down any information about both this image, as well as the circus troupe it portrays. He’s contacted me in search of any and all help he can get. If you have [...]
Tomorrow is the final day of the Ringling Museum‘s temporary exhibition, The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithographing Company. This collection features, 80 brilliantly colored, boldly bombastic posters advertising the feature attractions from all corners of the globe and peerless performers of the big top. The Cincinnati-based Strobridge Lithographing Company was one of the country’s [...]
Wed on a tightrope, balancing over a crowd in Toulouse, France? How romantic!
And now it’s time for another installation of Circus Slang on HeyRube: Joey: (noun) \ˈjō-ē\ Another word for a clown, derived from Joseph Grimaldi, a famous 19th century clown
After a leisurely afternoon of admiring ligers, petting goats and snuggling with emus at Sarasota’s Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary, my sisters and I were treated to a demonstration by the Rosaire Family and a few of their feline friends. This ninth-generation circus family has been training and rescuing exotic animals for several [...]
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer and singer whose accomplishments include numerous Emmy’s, Golden Globes and Broadway theatre shows, to name a few. Despite his successful career, Vereen was the subject of much controversy in 1981 when he performed in blackface at the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. The following article highlights some of [...]
Hurry, Hurry, Step right up and check out this original 1940s footage from the Coney Island Freak Show. You’ll see the talker make his pitch, the banner line, actual pinheads and more:
The fairground in Dillon Montana has a tombstone for a show elephant that was struck down by lightning in 1943. The pachyderm, Pitt, was reportedly 102 years old. By all accounts I could find online, elephants live between 60-80 years in captivity. Pitt had been traveling with the Cole Bros. Circus at the time of [...]
London’s James Harvey British Art gallery is hosting an exhibition November 29th – December 16th titled The Circus to promote a new book by Robert Fountain, who chose artists for the exhibition. Fountain’s new book, The Art of the Traditional Circus, includes 160 illustrations and paintings by 52 different artists. With permission, today HeyRube readers get a sneak peak [...]
Vintage circus posters receive great acclaim today and many museums around the country have organized exhibitions to honor this slice of Americana advertising. Circuses, however, were not the only entertainment platform to get involved in early print advertising. Published in 1922, below is an advertisement for Coy Herndon, a performer in the vaudeville and minstrel circuit [...]