Courier: P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth in London, November 11, 1889 (owned by the Bridgeport History Center)

Courier for P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth opening at Olympia, Kensington, London on November 11, 1889. The color cover features portraits of P.T. Barnum and J.A. Bailey on the left and right sides respectively, with an eagle perched atop a shield with the American flag between them. In the eagle's beak is a banner that reads truthful moral instruction. The bottom of the cover is dominated by scenes from Imre Kiralfy's Nero; or the Destruction of Rome including gladiator fights, foot races, wrestling, and horse racing. Two black circles placed in the center right and left hand sides provide further promises of acts within the circus itself. Throughout the text are descriptions of the acts contained within the circus, alternated with bold type both in red ink and black meant to draw in eyes to particular attractions. There are also extensive illustrations. They include horse racing from 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 rings of the circus 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 and Bailey circus. 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 new electrical lighting, and minimal emphasis on dialogue. The two had a successful partnership, but split in 1887 following 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 and Bailey Circus. Kiralfy died in Brighton, England on April 28, 1919. 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 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.