Advertising "The Greatest Show on Earth"
"Circus is in town with new wonders; a hundred clowns, six herds of elephants and the strongest woman to ever live!” (6)
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In terms of advertising, The Barnum and Bailey circus was heavily showcased throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s in the newspapers, editors stating things such as "Only two more weeks remain in which to see the Barnum and Bailey circus in the city!" (1) The circus business aimed to connect to families and children by heavily advertising their industry in newspapers and eventually television ads. However, Barnum's circus often faced competition from the rise of "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show" and they were even forced to hold advertising "brigades" (2) that featured railroad cars of posters preceding the trains "by as much as a full week". (3)
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About four years later (1885), Bailey retired from the Barnum and Bailey circus, however "the combined circus continued to be highly profitable" and extremely popular. (4) Following Barnum's death in 1891, Bailey bought the circus back again from Nancy (Barnum's widow) and began running the circus again. Among other notable accomplishments, he was able to expand the circus to five rings and take it on a five-year long European tour. (5)
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1. Barnum and Bailey Circus. Photograph. Circuses and Slideshows. http://www.circusesandsideshows.com/performers.html 2013. (April 4, 2017).
2. New York Times (New York City, NY). "Circus Is In Town With New Wonders." March 21, 1920, http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document. (February 2, 2017)
3. New York Times (New York City, NY). "The Great Circus's Attractions." April 8, 1888, 11. http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document. (January 23, 2017).
4. New York Times (New York City, NY). "The Greatest Show." March 11, 1888, 2. http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document. (January 23, 2017).
5. New York Times (New York City, NY). "Ringlings Buy out Barnum and Bailey." October 23, 1907, http://search.proquest.com/docview/96748981/F3EC14ED2FD84576PQ/5?accountid=6603. (January 26, 2017).
6. Ibid, "The Great Circus's Attractions."
7. Ibid.
8. New York Times (New York City, NY). "The Circus Has Started" [The Circus Has Started]. March 14, 1909, 11. Accessed January 30, 2017. http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document.
9. Ibid. "The Greatest Show."
10. Poster from the 1920s promoting the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. 1920. Photograph. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Barnum-and-Bailey-Circus. (February 1, 2017).
11. Ibid.
12. New York Times (New York City, NY). "Ringling Left a Million." April 8, 1923, 6. http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document. (February 1, 2017).
13. Ibid, "The Greatest Show."