American Circus Posters in Full Colour (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) - Softcover

Fox, Charles Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486236935 ISBN 13: 9780486236933

Publisher: Dover Publications Inc., 1979

Synopsis

Here collected together for the first time are 48 large, full-color, rare posters, 1890s-1940s, superbly reproduced from originals. Printed in extra large format so that even small details can be clearly seen, the posters feature many of the greats of the American circus: acrobats, clowns, Gargantua, etc., from Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey, Sparks, more.

About this title

From the Back Cover

The Children's Dream of Fairy-Land (1893) . . . Living Statues on Horseback (1890s) . . . Real Roman Hippodrome, Five Continent Menagerie (1890s) . . . Uno, Queen Supreme of the Serpent Kingdom (1894) . . . Dancing Girls, Mounted Guards and Truly Lavish Displays (1903) . . . "Twisting Double Somersault," A Feat Never Before Attempted by the Most Intrepid Aerialists (1904) . . . Desperado's Terrible Leap for Life, A Terrific Descent of 80 Feet Through Space Landing Upon His Chest on a Skid (1909) . . . The Imperial Chinese Circus Stars (1914) . . . An Army of Clowns (1920s) . . . Pallenberg's Wonder Bears (1920s) . . . Gargantua the Great (1938).
Originally put in store windows and posted on sheds, barns, buildings, walls and fences, these 18 extremely rare posters, most not previously reproduced, are collected together for the first time. The quality of reproduction is superb: reproduced in full color directly from the originals, these posters have been printed in an extra large format and on coated stock so that every detail is clear. They are an exciting visual history, capturing the pageantry and color that the circus was and is. They are also extremely fine examples of almost 50 years of poster art and American advertising.
There are acrobats, elephants, tigers, lions, parades, tents, trains, and many specialized acts: May Wirth, the Riding Rooneys, the Astounding Clarkonians, etc. The posters date from the 1890s to the 1940s, and include one by Norman Bel Geddes. They feature many American circuses: Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey, Sells, Sparks, Hagenbeck-Wallace. The historical introduction and captions are by Charles Philip Fox, Director of Research and Development with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dover Publications Inc.
• Publication date: 1979
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0486236935
• ISBN 13: 9780486236933
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48