In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, companies such as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey used posters to let people know that the circus was coming to town. The U.S. Postal Service® is excited to celebrate the large, colorful pieces of art that showcased eye-catching imagery of stunts, performers, and animals.
This sheet of 16 self-adhesive stamps features reproductions of eight vintage circus posters. Each stamp features one vintage circus poster. The sheet’s verso text includes a brief discussion of the history and purpose of circus posters. The selvage features an image of a circus entrance shot by photographer Edward J. Kelty in 1937.
This 1918 Ringling Bros. Shows poster, made by the Strobridge Lithographing Company, features Hillary Long, who as the poster attests, “Puts His Skates Upon His Head And Wears His Hat Upon His Feet While Accomplishing Apparently Impossible Stunts.”