Barnum & Bailey / La Flêche Humaine. 1900.

Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 37 3/4 x 30 1/2 in./96 x 77.3 cm
Condition: B/ Stains at vertical fold and edges.
Printer: Strobridge Litho., Cincinnati
Reference: Ref: PAI-LI, 36
Key Words: Circus; American

Barnum & Bailey / La Flêche Humaine. 1900.
While Barnum & Bailey took many of its acts to Europe, this particular diversion, known as the ‘Human Arrow,’ was actually developed in France and later brought back to America when the circus returned in 1902. Although we only see the moment before impact, the show begins with a sufficiently light female riding a bicycle down a steep incline before hurling herself 40 feet in the air, bursting through a paper bull’s eye, and landing safely on the other side. This poster promises a slight alteration on the act involving an oversized slingshot and a midair catch; however, no reviews from the time ever note that precise orchestration. This is the French text version.