Step Right Up to the World of Collecting Circus and Carnival Programs and Posters
If you are looking for a colorful poster to put on your walls that is sure to spark conversation, then consider a circus or carnival poster. You may also want to display the covers to circus and carnival programs in a picture frame. Alternatively, these programs make an excellent coffee table display when put into a book.
What are some types of circus posters for sale on eBay?There are several different types of circus posters including:
- Full-sheets: These circus posters measuring 21 inches by 54 inches were often placed in store windows a week or so before the circus' arrival.
- Half-sheets: These vertical or horizontal posters measuring 14 inches by 42 inches were placed in store windows to let shoppers know the circus would soon be arriving.
- Date sheets: These small white sheets containing one-color ink were plastered on poles to remind everyone of the circus' arrival.
- Rain gutter sheets: These long horizontal sheets that were only a few inches tall were hung from rain gutters and store awnings.
- Window cards: These sheets measuring about 7 inches by 21 inches were placed in inside locations around the city where the circus would soon appear.
Circus posters can be dated in many different ways. You may find that a poster has a piece of paper pasted to the bottom of the poster with the date that the circus was appearing written on it. You can then compare these dates to written records of when the circus arrived. Many posters had space in the middle where workers added the circus' date on a separate piece of paper. Those hung after 1950 often contain a Billposter's Union Stamp.
Who were some early carnival companies who used posters?The first carnival was set up at the Chicago World's Fair. After the fair closed, Chicago Midway Plaisance Amusement Company was formed using many of the rides and acts from the fair. After its closing, several employees opened carnivals, but none lasted long. The next big operator was Canton (Ohio) Carnival Company, which began operation on May 30, 1899. Other early operators included the Lackman & Loos Shows, Strates Show, Crafts 20 Big Shows, and Royal American Shows.
Printers of early circus postersPrinters usually created circus posters in the winter. Then they would sell large amounts of them to different circus companies who would often pick out the design they preferred from a variety of stock options. The company added the name of the circus. These companies included:
- Strobridge Lithographing Company: This Cincinnati-based company printed many circus posters designed by various artists from 1890 to 1920.
- Enquirer Printing Company: Based in Cincinnati, this company's wood-block posters were some of the earliest used in America.
- Erie Lithograph and Printing: Many vintage Ringling Brothers circus posters were printed by this company based in Erie, Pennsylvania, who often worked with Donaldson Litho Company of Newport, Kentucky. Eventually, the company became known as U.S. Printing and Lithograph.