Courier: P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth in London, November 11, 1889

Advance promotional advertising newspaper, called a courier, for P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth opening at Olympia, Kensington, London on November 11, 1889. The cover is printed in color, predominantly orange and yellow with black, and features portraits of P.T. Barnum and J. A. Bailey on the top left and right sides respectively. Between them, the symbols of America, an eagle perched atop a shield with the American flag, are proudly displayed. In the eagle's beak is a banner that reads "truthful moral instruction." Barnum always emphasized the quality of entertainment he offered, aiming to appeal to family audiences. The lower portion of the cover art is dominated by scenes from Imre Kiralfy's "Nero; or the Destruction of Rome" including gladiator fights, foot races, wrestling, and horse racing. The performance was an extravaganza on a large scale, a spectacular andunforgettable event. The text in two black circles on the center left and right hand sides describes the other acts to be seen in the circus. Inside, throughout the text there are descriptions of the various acts and performances. These alternate with bold type both in red ink and black ink, meant to draw readers' eyes to particular attractions. The courier also contains many illustrations, such as horse racing in the hippodrome; the hall of supernatural illusions with crowds passing by the exhibits; sea lions performing with their trainers; a troupe of educated bears; the Yankee farmer's trained steers; four superb trained elks; Bo-peep and her flock of trained sheep; a company of educated pigs and monkeys being lead by clowns; a two-page fully colored spread dedicated to showing the great procession of Emperor Nero in Imre Kiralfy's "Nero; or the Destruction of Rome"; the interior of the hall that houses "living human curiosities" and features various little people, giants, and other performers; three illustrations of Jumbo the Elephant that include him being struck by a train, his mounted skeleton, and his mounted hide; a long team of horses being driven by a single rider; acrobats; six trained stallions rearing up on their hind legs; seven trained elephants rearing up on their hind legs; a number of horses and their trainer; and two jockeys racing against each other while standing astride two horses. The back cover, also in color, features illustrations of the animal acts, the human acts, acrobats, the hall of illusions, and depiction of chariot races rounding a corner while one of the three circus rings has acrobats performing within. Placed in the center of the program is a simple black circle that reads "P. T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth." Imre Kiralfy (originally Königsbaum) (January 1845-April 28, 1919) was a Hungarian born producer of spectacles, with a number of his elaborate productions being put on by the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. Originally working to produce shows with his brother Bolossy, the two put on what were known as spectacles - elaborately staged multi-media productions with music, lavish costuming, massive sets, dancing, extensive use of the new electrical lighting, and minimal emphasis on dialogue. The two had a successful partnership, but split in 1887 after a falling out for reasons unknown. Imre went on to produce shows like "Nero; or the Fall of Rome," "Columbus and the Discovery of America" and "The Fall of Babylon" that toured as a part of the Barnum & Bailey's show. Kiralfy died in Brighton, England, on April 28, 1919. Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus that still bears his name, but his circus ventures came about in the early 1870s when he was in his 60s. The first show was called "P. T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus." Railroads propelled the circus to success, making it easier to reach a number of locations and far more people, and the intake was significant. Barnum then opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, he encountered competition from other circuses. A merger between Barnum’s show the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the Barnum and London Circus. Negotiations in 1887 formed the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. After Barnum's death in 1891, Bailey contineud to operate the circus. After his death in 1906, Ringling Brothers bought the business and operated it separately from their own for over ten years. The name remained until 1919 when the two circuses were combined to become Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. It came to an end in May 2017 when the circus ceased performances after 146 years.