A vintage cartoon, lathered in political incorrectness, that takes place at the circus… Does it get any better than that? Krazy Kat, and his sidekick Ignatz Mouse, were notable American comic strip characters, heavily published between 1913 and 1944. They were animated several times, as the above 1916 clip demonstrates. They garnered a good deal [...]
Released in 1946, Children of Paradise is a classic French film that takes place in the seedy underground of the old theatre and street performance circles of Paris. It is a saga (running nearly 3 hours) that involves timeless elements of love and betrayal, all told through beautiful cinematography, with a healthy abundance of vintage circus [...]
The title pretty much sums it up, folks. Feast your eyes on this delicious example of retro fetishization of foreign motifs: This featured dancer was born Mary Ellen Tillotson but went by the stage name of Kalantan. According to Wild Realm Reviews, She was a major burlesque dancer & pin-up girl of the early 1950s, [...]
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!
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 [...]
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 [...]
My good friend Wendy Whiplash recently stumbled across an article from the Rocky Mountain News, published in 1897. (Don’t ask how…) Entitled ”Banquet for a Circus Manager,” the article outlines the antics of the circus folk at a party given at the behest of the troupe manager. I’ve included an image of the scanned paper and, [...]