Courier: P.T. Barnum and Co...Newburyport July 18, 1887

Courier of yellow paper and black ink featuring P.T. Barnum and Co.'s United Greatest Show On Earth, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie, Great London Circus, and Grand International Allied Shows for Newburyport, July 18, 1887 Couriers were a form of advertising that helped to announce the arrival of the circus, usually before it was in town. Some couriers were newspaper sized and many pages long, with extensive descriptions and illustrations of the acts that were a part of the circus. Featured here are advertisements for Maphoon and Moung-Phoset, billed as the Hairy Family of Burma; Captain Paul Boyton; Jumbo's stuffed hide and skeleton; the Great Roman Hippodrome; and many other attractions. 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. Printed by the The Courier Company for July 18, 1887