Adam Forepaugh & Sells Brothers Enormous Shows Combined. Strobridge Lith. Co. 1896. Prints and Photographs Division. LC-USZC4-930. full caption | bibliographic record

Circus Posters (600 posters, 1840-present) depict the stars and acts from this specialized entertainment arena. They feature such notables as Barnum and Bailey stars Isabella Butler and Rose Meers. One poster proclaims Meers to be the “Greatest Living Lady Rider—Entirely original in dress, style and action, engaged at a salary of $100.00 per day” (POS—Circus—Barnum & Bailey 1897, no. 9, [D size]; Repro. no. LC-USZ62-24078).

Searching the Collection

Many posters for which copy negatives or transparencies exist can be searched in the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. The collection does not have its own listing in the online catalog, but items can be retrieved by searching the term circus posters in combination with names of stars and other subjects. Digitized images generally accompany the records.

For posters not represented online, onsite researchers can consult the following:

• a reading room card index organized by circus company.
• photographic reproductions of many of the posters in the “Specific Subjects—Graphics” file, under the heading “Circus & Shows”

Go to the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC)