Handbill: "Madison Square Garden Inauguration of the Hippodrome Season"

Handbill for "Madison Square Garden Inauguration of the Hippodrome Season", 1887 Printed on red paper with black ink. On the advertisement are the Great Roman Hippodrome; Miss Beckwith, the greatest lady swimmer in the world; male and female riders; Maphoon and Moung-Phoset here billed as the Hairy Family of Brumah; the only living two headed cow; and promises 2 performances daily. Illustrations on the front include images of Miss Beckwith in a swimsuit, swimming in the pool, diving in the pool, and standing outside of the pool; chariot races within the hippodrome. Illustrations on the back include two women riding horses; illustration of two men riding horses; a chariot with three horses being driven with a man strapped to a number of ropes above; more men riding horses; a cow with two heads. 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 29.4 by 10.125 inches. Printed by Richard K. Fox Show Printer and Engraver, 1887.