Courier: P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth, Lowell, June 1, 1881

Courier of red paper with black ink for P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth and the Great London Circus playing Wednesday, June 1, 1881 in Lowell. 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 and illustration within this courier are Indian elephants; Elaborately decorated carriages; a baby elephant; giant animals including seals and rhinos; Chang the Chinese giant; Charles S. Stratton and M. Lavinia Warren; Native Americans; and trick horses. 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.