A Brief History of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus

Most of the show posters I've been looking at recently are all from the combined Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, which has been performing for over a century.  They're still around, and I highly recommend going to see them!  There's also a musical based on P.T. Barnum, the man behind it all, called-what else?-Barnum.
On an almost-burlesque-related note, Barnum actually started in the side show business, with Barnum's American Museum rather than the three-ring circus we associate with him today.  He first gained success in the 1840s with 'curiosities' such as General Tom Thumb (a midget), the Fiji Mermaid, and conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker.

Stratton, aka General Tom Thumb, with a guardsman

a sketch of Barnum's Fiji Mermaid, c. 1841

Unfortunately for Barnum, although his museum was successful, it burned down twice.  With too much debt to stop, he continued on in the business by taking on partners/financial backers.  In 1881 he joined with James Bailey, creating the Barnum and Bailey Circus.  After Barnum's death in 1891, Bailey bought Barnum's half and continued to tour.

Poster for Barnum and Bailey Circus-A Child's Dream

In the meantime, back in the Midwest, five of August Rungling's sons founded the Ringling Brothers Circus in 1884.  Smaller than Barnum and Bailey's endevor, the show still gained moderate success and traveled throughout the US.

the Ringling family

1898 Ringling Brothers poster

In 1907 Ringling Brothers Circus bought Barnum and Bailey, touring the shows separately for several years.  However, as the brothers died, it became harder and harder to manage two touring circuses.  Finally in 1919 the remain two Ringling brothers combined the shows into Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows, which debuted in Madison Square Garden.
Over the next two decades, the enterprise continued to grow as smaller circuses felt the hit of the stock market crash and the following depression.  Many of these were purchased by John Ringling.  Popularity and success for the circus continued through World War II, during which President Roosevelt gave the show special permission to use the railroads.

troops watch circus performers during WWII

As Hollywood grew and the popularity of live shows decreased during the 1950s, the travelling circus also began to suffer.  Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Combined Show had their last performance in 1957, almost 50 years after the show's debut.

Since then, Ringling has been purchased and is up and running again.  While there is still a lot of controversy surrounding the use of animals in circus performance, the modern circus offers a wide variety of both traditional and uniquely modern circus acts.  Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus is on tour now-go and check out a show for yourself! You'll be entering into a tradition centuries old when you do.