Barnum & Bailey / Giant Rhinoceros. 1909.

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 28 1/2 x 38 1/2 in./72.2 x 97.8 cm
Condition: B/ Tear at horizontal fold.
Printer: Strobridge Litho., Cincinnati
Reference: Ref: Strobridge, fig. 25; Phillips VIII, 83; PAI-LVIII, 37
Key Words: Circus; American; Animals

Barnum & Bailey / Giant Rhinoceros. 1909.
Most early circus posters boasted crowded scenes with streams of descriptive phrases to communicate the overwhelming array of performances and creatures one might behold. That is not the case in this paired-back design which favors less words for a more focused visual impact. "'Rhinoceros,' in concert with the image it adorned, told of circus reaching to the far corners of the earth, exotic lands yielding exotic wonders. And '&' spoke volumes... conjuring the combined aggregations of the expanding circus world. Each name added to a title appeared to double the size of the show, and sometimes did. Come, blared the poster, see Bailey's circus acumen in impressive combination with Barnumium bluster" (Strobridge, p. 35).