O’Brien’s Grand Menagerie Imprint 1871

Imprint "O'BRIEN'S GRAND MENAGERIE. A Sketch of the Wild Animals Mentioned in Natural History. Embellished with Fine Engravings…" New York, 1871, 48pp octavo, with original yellow wraps. Very good condition. O'Brien's Grand Menagerie was a traveling nineteenth-century American circus and animal exhibition operated by showman John O'Brien. Like other large touring menageries of the era, it combined a circus, museum, and collection of exotic animals, bringing lions, tigers, elephants, camels, and other rare creatures to towns whose residents had little opportunity to see such animals. The show typically arrived with a grand street parade featuring ornate wagons, performers, bands, and animal cages, generating considerable public excitement before performances. O'Brien's enterprise was part of the golden age of the American traveling circus, when menageries served as both entertainment and informal education, showcasing the wonders of the natural world while offering equestrian acts, acrobats, clowns, and other popular attractions.