Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Circus Magazine and Program (1947)
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, also known as "The Greatest Show on Earth", was arguably one of the most well-known circuses in the United States during the 20th and early 21st centuries. Known for its massive tents, exotic animals and shock value acts, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show dominated the circus scene well into the 2010's. This program from 1947 includes a wide variety of different articles, ads and details about the circus. There are personal stories of those who visited the circus and a story of a woman married to a circus clown. There are ads for a multitude of products ranging from flashlights to ketchup to alcohol. A cigarette ad claims, "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette." The magazine includes many comics and drawings of the circus as well as an itinerary for what a typical day as a circus worker looks like. Lastly, this document contains the names of those working on the show at the time. Interestingly, the show came to Hattiesburg in October of 1947.
In the early 1870's, James Bailey partnered with James Cooper to create Cooper, Bailey and Co.'s Great International Circus. For two years the partners traveled all around the world and eventually became rivals to the Barnum Circus. In 1880, the two circuses decided to come together and form the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Around the same time, five brothers, the Ringling brothers, began to put on backyard shows where they sang or danced to raise money for their own circus. In Baraboo, Wisconsin, in 1884, the Ringling brothers founded Ringling Bros., later to be officially called "Ringling Bros. United Monster Shows, Great Double Circus, Royal European Menagerie, Museum, Caravan, and Congress of Trained Animals," and began to build their circus from the ground up. The two circuses decided to split the United States instead of rivaling and neither company would approach the other's territory. By the 1900's, the Ringling Bros. was growing fast and becoming one of the largest traveling circuses. They began to buy other shows, and in 1906, when James Bailey died, the Ringling brothers bought that show too. They still kept the circuses separate, as they were both massive shows. However, during World War I, the two shows were merged and given the name "The Greatest Show on Earth." The Ringling families owned the show until 1967 when it was bought by the Feld family, keeping the name. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey continued performing until 2017.
Despite being such a legendary show, there were many controversies surrounding the circus, most notably the abuse of the exotic animals in the show. In 2012, Los Angeles Animal Services requested an investigation into nine elephants in custody of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The elephants were showing unusual "meaningless" behaviors like swaying back and forth. They also found that the elephants had poor posture and nail cracks, a result of their swaying. Some of the elephants had uneven sole wear. which could be attributed to injuries or performing difficult tricks. Many animal rights activists worked to remove the animals from the circus as their care was negligible.
To learn more about this item, view the finding aid for the Circus, Minstrel and Traveling Shows Collection (AM01-77). If you have questions about the collection, contact Lorraine Stuart at or 601.266.4117. Materials can be viewed in Special Collections located in McCain Library & Archives room 305. The library is open Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Text by Kit Coursey, Sociology major
**Items of the Month featured in 2023 and part of 2024 will be the work of Southern Miss students who took HON 303, a sophomore seminar held in Fall 2022 focusing on archives and special collections.
WORKS CITED
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Magazine and Program, 1947: Circus, Minstrel and Traveling Shows Collection (AM01-77)
Ensley, Philip K. "Report to determine physical condition and suitability to perform following inspection of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus (RBBBC) at the Los Angeles Staples Center. 2012." Commissioned by the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services (2012).
Griffin, J. "Ringling-Barnum Routes, 1940-1949." Circus Routes, Ringling-Barnum 1940-49, 2008, www.classic.circushistory.org/Routes/Ringling40.htm.
Murray, Marian. "The Circus Kings: Our Ringling Family Story." (1960): 191-193.
Sperling, L. Joy. "The Popular Sources of Calder's Circus: The Humpty Dumpty Circus, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey, and The Cirque Medrano." The Journal of American Culture 17.4 (1994): 1.