Handbill: "P.T. Barnum's Great Travelling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan..."

Handbill for P.T. Barnum’s Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Hippodrome combined with the Grand international Zoological Garden, Polytechnic Institute and Dan Castello’s Mammoth Circus with information on both sides. It goes on to list the number of attractions available, including the seven-in-one exhibition, Dan Castello's Mammoth Circus, the empire rink, the California Big Tree, and the Empire Rink among other attractions. On the front there are the following illustrations: a portrait of P.T. Barnum at the very top of the image, wearing a bowtie; a man of ambiguous origin holding what could be a walking stick or a spear; a man being tackled by a number of lions; a seal. On the back there are the following illustrations: a giant holding a little person for the view of one man and one woman; a warthog; a number of animals including a rhino, elephant, giraffe and camel; two armless women seated on a dais; a young child with a full beard and mustache; a polar bear Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus that bore 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 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. Measures 20 by 4.5 inches. No printer named. 1871.