Ticket: Ticket for the Annex to Barnum's Greatest Show

Ticket for The Annex to Barnum's Greatest Show. It advertises the colossal combination troupe and famous curiosities and bills itself as complementary. The name of the Bunnell brothers appears at the bottom right. The text itself is highly elaborate, and a diamond pattern border surrounds the text. The back of the ticket gives a description of the current circus, and is signed Yours Respectfully, Bunnell Brothers. P.T. Barnum had an agreement with George Bunnell that George and one of his siblings would manage the curiosities that made up the circus sideshow and share the profits. This is the ticket for entry. 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. Barnumu2019s 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 Barnumu2019s 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.