Promotional newspaper, called a courier, printed for The Barnum & Bailey 15 United Shows taking place on April 22, 1889 in Brooklyn, New York. The front cover of the 16-page item features portraits of P. T. Barnum and James A. Bailey at the top, with a center design between them featuring a lion under a horseshoe, with a tiger and horse on either side. A banner proclaims The World in Contribution above a large image of a globe. The cover design is heavily weighted with text, making use of every square inch to promote the attractions of the circus, the large sum of money invested in it, and its Paris Olympia Hippodrome. The lower part of the cover features an illustration of horse riders in Arabian clothing, and in the bottom corners, illustrations of an elephant and hippo. The back cover includes color illustrations of the "wild Moorish caravan," Paris Olympia Hippodrome, "40 Supernatural Illusions," and "Ten Acres of Stupendous Tents." Inside the courier there are numerous advertisements for the acts, along with illustrations. Portions of the text are printed in red ink to emphasize their importance. The cover is marked at bottom "Corner Sumner and Putnum Avenues, Brooklyn, one week commencing Monday April 22." The cover was designed with the blank margin at the bottom so that at each venue, the location and date information could be changed. 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 & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. Ringling Bros. purchased Barnum & Bailey following Bailey's death in 1906 and operated the two circuses separately until 1919. The two were combined to become Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. The last performance was on May 21, 2017.
