Figure 1.--Herewe see children playing in an area set up for them outside a small regional circus. We don't know just where the circus was located, but we know the photograph was taken, August 27, 1937--just before school began. Click on the image for a blow up.

America unlike Europe in the early-19th century had few cities and the urban areas that did exist were much smaller than those in Europe. This meant that there were no established resident circuses like thise that had begun operating in Europe. And America was costantly expanding pushing the frontier ever westward with new communities forming as the country expanded west. America was a largely rural, but not poor country. Americans tended to be more afflunt than Europeans even in colonial times. Thus there was money to be made for showmen, but to access that markets they had to become mobile, becoming traveling companies. This began even before the railroads. The major problem was a prforming venue. This required a large enclosed area. There were no stadiums in America at the time, even in the cities. Joshuah Purdy Brown (1802?-1834) from Somers, New York solved the problem. He was the first circus entrepreneur to replace hard to transport wooden structures with a large canvas tent (1825). The major performers did their act in one central 'ring' in the tent. The idea was quickly adopted by other traveling groups and became associated with the circus--the Big Top (1830s). A wealthy cattle dealer named Hachaliah Bailey (1775-1845) lived near Brown in New York. On a lark he purchased a young African elephant. At the time, people may have heard of elphants, but never seen one or even seen pictures of one. There were no zoos, photography hd nog been invented and lithography (proving images in books and magazines) was still primitive. Thus there was a huge market interested in seeing exotic animals and not just the children. Bailey began exhibiting his elephnt and found he could actully make money doing so. He added exotic nimals an soon had a trveling menagerie. Bailey's succes was noted and some of his farmer neigbors copied his success and began adding curcus acts. This all occurred mostly in the Somers area. A group of 135 farmers and menagerie-owners, mostly in and around Somers, decided to join forces and organize (1835). They formed the Zoological Institute which was a trust that included 13 menageries and 3 affiliated circuses. It was a kind of traveling-circus and menagerie monopoly. The American circus became a traveling tent-show combined with a menagerie and run by businessmen. This contrasted with European circuses mostly controled by performing families. Traveling in early america where roads outside the major cities hardly existed put real constrints on the traveling circus. You could not move an elephant by covered wagon or stage coach. And speed was a constraint. Taking weeks to travel between venues mean that a good part of the year would be spent traveling, not making money. This problem was solved by the railroads which began to criss-cross America. This meant that circuses could expand and even even large circuses could rpidly reach every corner of the country. Former museum promoter and impresario Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891) formed an alliance with circus entrepreneur William Cameron Coup (1837-95). They founded the P.T. Barnum's Museum, Menagerie & Circus (1871). It was traveling show with a 'museum' at a time in wgich museums were only begining to appear in the larger cities. Barnum's Museum, included an exhibition of animal and human oddities. It was a hit and the 'Sideshow' became a virtually required part of any circus. And they began appearig at state and country fairs. Although when we think of circuses today, we think of Barnum and Bailey. Coup is largely unknow, although he played a mmajor role in the devlopment if the merican traveling circus. It was Coup who thought out a system of daily transportation by rail for their circus (1872). Another Coup innovations was the addition of a second ring in the Big Top. The circus by this time had become the sungle most popular form of entertainment in America. This was because of not only the acts and animals, but because it was mobile. Barnum and Coup's joint enterprise was the largest and most popular circus. Coup was intent on increasing the capacity of their tent which of course meant he could sell more tickets. Here there were structural limitations. The tents could only be so big. Thus the only way of expanding the tents was to lengthen them. This created a problem. Everything was vissible to the ufience in aound tent, but in a long tent there was no longer a clear view. Coup's answer was a second ring. Eventually a third ring was added (1881). Eventually even larger numbrs ppeared, but the three-ring circus was the industry stndard. Some purists complained, saying that the Anerican circus began focusing on spectacle over artistry. Circuses continud to remain the most popular form of American entertaiment for several decades. This gradually changed in the 20th centuries, first with the movies and then with radio and eventually television. Even so the circus continued to be popular through mid-century. An American reader writes, "Sadly, another part of growing up in the 50s and 60s, the circus is no longer with us. I saw a few months ago in the news, the demise of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. I remember back in the early 60s going to the Clyde Beatty Cole Bros Circus in Philadelphia. While my family and I were not dressed as formally as those in the photo we were certainly dressed more formally than people of this era. An event like that would have required me to at least wear a pair of dress trousers and button-down dress shirt." A major problem the circus faces today is the animls. There is widespread public concrn over the trearment of the animals.

Created: 10:46 PM 8/14/2017
Last updated: 10:46 PM 8/14/2017