Handbill: "Truth! [...] Compare! [...] Great London Circus and P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth" for Monday, May 1

Two sided handbill for the Great London Circus and P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth for Monday, May 1, in Buffalo, New York printed on yellow paper. On one side of the handbill the top reads Truth! and tells the reader to Compare! the circus being advertised against Adam Forepaugh's circus. Two columns list the features of each circus, such as the number of animals, the museum department (side show), and the circus department with the Great London Circus and P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth coming out on top every time. On the other it reads To the people just a few plain words that informs the reader that they ought to wait for the best of the circuses, supposedly giving them all the facts they need to make an informed decision about waiting to see the better of the two circuses. Measures 27.74 by 7 inches. Printed by the Courier Company Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus that still bears his name, but his circus ventures came about 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 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 and the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the Barnum and London Circus. Negotiations in 1887 formed the Barnum and Bailey circus. The name remained until 1919 when it became the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It came to an end in May 2017 when the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus ceased performances after 146 years.