Handbill: The Barnum and Bailey Greatest Shows on Earth for Reading, May 14, 1891 with red and black ink

Handbill advertising the Barnum and Bailey Greatest Shows on Earth for Reading, May 14, 1891 with red and black ink, featuring the promise of Cheap Excursions from All Points. On one side of the handbill is an advertisement for Imre Kiralfy's "Nero; or the Destruction of Rome," and it emphasizes the circus' performances in England as well as America. Depicted at the top of the handbill is a globe in a rectangle that reads "Cheap excursions from all points" and is flanked by illustrations in each corner. The top left corner depicts trick horses, in the top right some of Barnum's menagerie, in the bottom right some of the performers, and in the lower left corner is a depiction of chariot races. Below that is an image that is titles Hands across the sea and features two hands labeled America and England respectively. Above the hands is an image of the circus loaded onto ships leaving New York harbor, and below them is an image of the circus arriving in London. The rest of the handbill is dominated by a tour schedule printed in red ink. The other side of the handbill advertises Imre Kiralfy's "Nero" in extensive detail. The top and bottom of the handbill contains panoramic views of the Roman sets that are part of the show, and in the middle are two smaller illustrations that show the Appian Way on the left and games and combat before Nero in the Circus Maximus on the right. Measures 29 inches by 10.2 inches. Printed by Richard K. Fox. Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus that bore 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. Railroads propelled the circus to success, making it easier to reach a number of locations, and the intake was significant. Barnum then opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, he encountered competition from other circuses. A merger between Barnum's show and the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the Barnum and London Circus. Negotiations in 1887 formed the Barnum and Bailey circus. The name remained until 1919 when it became the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It came to an end in May 2017 when the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus ceased performances after 146 years.