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Circus Poster, Barnum and Bailey Circus Presents "Ronaldo The Aerial Gymnast," circa 1890

THF81702 / Circus Poster, Barnum and Bailey Circus Presents "Ronaldo The Aerial Gymnast," circa 1890
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Artifact Overview

In the late nineteenth century, printers developed a lithograph method that produced brightly colored posters. In advance of a circus coming to town, general agents glued these eye-catching generic posters to building walls, fences, and in window displays. To announce when and where the performances would happen, local printers sometimes provided letterpress paper date strips to paste onto the posters' lower margin.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Poster

Date Made

circa 1890

Subject Date

circa 1890

Creator Notes

Printed by Strobridge & Co. Lith., Cincinnati, Ohio.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

35.784.150

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Strobridge Lithographing Co.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Lithography

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 40.25 in
Width: 30.25 in

Inscriptions

Circus poster printed at top: THE BARNUM & BAILEY GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH Printed at bottom: RONALDO THE AERIAL GYMNAST. A Truly Wonderful and Entirely Original High Class / AERIAL GYMNASTIC and CONTORTION ACT / By A Most Marvelous and Thoroughly original Performer. Unrivalled Exhibition of Novel, Daring and Peculiar / Feats While Rapidly TWIRLING on the REVOLVING TRAPEZE. The Only Performance of Its Kind In The County. / THE WORLD'S GRANDEST, LARGEST, BEST, AMUSEMENT INSTITUTION.