Ringling Museum showcases old circus posters full of promise and hype
By Lennie Bennett, Times Art Critic In Print: Sunday, October 2, 2011
SARASOTA — The circus is coming to town!
Back in the days before instant gratification ruled our lives, people across America felt a sense of anticipation build over weeks as the extravagant road show neared their city. The event was trumpeted by the most direct and effective form of communication (and advertising) at the time: big color posters promising the thrills of a lifetime that were plastered on any available wall.
A collection of those posters at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art takes us back to the era when circuses were the premier form of populist entertainment, bringing exotic sights and experiences from around the world to people who might have never ventured past their own city limits.
The 80 on view are culled from the permanent collections of the Ringling Museum and the Cincinnati Art Museum and were created between the mid 19th and 20th centuries by the Strobridge Lithographing Co.
Back in the days before instant gratification ruled our lives, people across America felt a sense of anticipation build over weeks as the extravagant road show neared their city. The event was trumpeted by the most direct and effective form of communication (and advertising) at the time: big color posters promising the thrills of a lifetime that were plastered on any available wall.
A collection of those posters at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art takes us back to the era when circuses were the premier form of populist entertainment, bringing exotic sights and experiences from around the world to people who might have never ventured past their own city limits.
The 80 on view are culled from the permanent collections of the Ringling Museum and the Cincinnati Art Museum and were created between the mid 19th and 20th centuries by the Strobridge Lithographing Co.
[CHRIS ZUPPA Times]Clown Lou Jacobs’ famous car, top, is on display as part of a new interactive exhibition for the Tibbals Learning Center at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
Dick;
ReplyDeleteIvan Arnold and I are going to the museum next Tuesday.
The picture above shows Buckles old Baby Buggy not Lou Jacobs car. I am not trying to be a smart ass, just trying to label things.
JIM--
ReplyDeleteTHANKS. I MUST NOT HAVE BEEN AWAKE
AND MISSED IT. DICK