Newspaper ad for P.T. Barnum's New and Greatest Show on Earth, scheduled to be in Portsmouth [New Hampshire?] on Friday, July 14th, [1876]. The advertisement highlights giraffes, sea lions, a hippopotami, a live leopard, the tattooed from head-to-toe Captain Costentenus, and life-sized automatic marvels. An illustration of two hippos is featured at the top, and on the lower left hand side are the various animals and people who were attractions at the show. Oliver Wendell Holmes and four others are quoted for their rich description of Costentenus, included in the text. The ad patriotically makes note of the Centennial, the 100th anniversary of America's declaration of independence from Great Britain, and calls attention to a vast Centennial Museum and a portrait gallery. Barnum always included a museum as part of his circuses, retaining his passion for the venue that first made him famous, his American Museum in New York City. Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus that still bears his name, but his circus ventures came about when he was in his 60s. The first show was called P.T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus. The use of the ever-expanding railroad system to transport the circus propelled it to success, because it was easier to reach audiences at a distance, and greatly shortened travel time compared to moving the wagons on roads. The train cars were also used as moving billboards to promote the circus and whet people's appetites to be amazed by the scale and performances. Barnum opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, he encountered competition from other circuses. A merger between Barnum’s show the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the Barnum and London Circus. Negotiations in 1887 resulted in Barnum's partnership with James A. Bailey, which created his best known entertainment, Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth. Ringling Brothers purchased the show in 1907, first operating it separately, then in 1919 combining the two to form the circus, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. That circus gave its final performance on May 21, 2017.
