Funding: National Endowment for the Arts Millennium Project.
Biographical/Historical: In 1881 James E. Cooper sold his interest in the Cooper and Bailey circus to his partner James E. Bailey who then combined shows with P. T. Barnum. Bailey became controlling partner in 1888 when the show was renamed Barnum and Bailey. Sold to Ringling Brothers in 1907, it operated as a show through 1919 when the two were combined to form Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows.
Content: "The children's favorite clown"--Bottom.
Content: Treasures of the American Performing Arts, 1875-1923

Physical Description

Lithographs
Extent: 1 poster : col. ; 118 x 105 cm
Stamped on verso: R-B 2021 2 SH, Clown & children, Dec. 13, 1920

Abstract

Advertising poster for the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows. Depicts a clown, costumed mainly in red, seated on a drum and holding a small string puppet, surrounded by entranced children and, on poster's edge, two other clowns, smiling, peering from around the circus tent.

Languages

English

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: NYPG98-F814
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b14426841
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 7efd40f0-c62c-012f-07f0-58d385a7bc34

Rights

The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Type Of Resource

Text
Still Image

Date Issued

1920

Cite this item

MLA format

Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. "Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey combined shows circus poster" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1920. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7efd40f0-c62c-012f-07f0-58d385a7bc34

APA format

Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. (1920). Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey combined shows circus poster Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7efd40f0-c62c-012f-07f0-58d385a7bc34

Chicago/Turabian Format

Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. "Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey combined shows circus poster" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 9, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7efd40f0-c62c-012f-07f0-58d385a7bc34

Wikipedia citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7efd40f0-c62c-012f-07f0-58d385a7bc34 | title= (text; still image) Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey combined shows circus poster (1920) | author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library | accessdate=November 9, 2025 | publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>