Printed silk program for "P. T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth" presented in Olympia, London, England, on Wednesday, November 20, 1889. The program is made of white silk satin fabric with silk fringe stitched around the edges. It is printed in red ink. The smooth surface of the satin allowed the printing to be clear and crisp, as easy to read as if printed on paper. In the 1880s there was a fashion for printing "documents" on silk, presumably in instances when it was desired that the document be an impressive and enduring presentation gift. No printer is named, but possibly it was printed in England, since the show took place there. Titled with the British spelling of "Programme," the document contains descriptions for eleven displays to be presented on two stages and three arenas. The names of Barnum's key associates are printed near the top, including equestrian director William Ducrow, secretary Benjamin Fish, and treasurer, M. F. Young. At the right, Barnum and James A. Bailey are noted as being "equal partners." The program also lists Barnum's Great Roman Hippodrome with its "Races, Games, and Pastimes," and following a ten-minute intermission, the grand spectacle performance of Imre Kiralfry's "Nero." Near the bottom, the program notes that the furnishing and decoration of the Royal Boxes is credited to John Barker & Co.; Barker was a well-known interior decorator whose estabishment was in the Kensington area of London. The note about the Royal Boxes may suggest the anticipated attendance of members of the Royal Family; if so, their attendance may have been the reason for producing silk programs. Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus that bore his name, but his circus ventures came about in the early 1870s 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 far more people, 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 the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the Barnum and London Circus. Negotiations in 1887 formed the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. After Barnum's death in 1891, Bailey contineud to operate the circus. After his death in 1906, Ringling Brothers bought the business and operated it separately from the Ringling circus for over ten years. The name remained until 1919 when the two circuses were combined to become Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. It came to an end in May 2017 when the circus ceased performances after 146 years.
