The Circus by Jean Brown

Barnum & Bailey ad 1900
The circus was a magical place when I was a boy. So much going on. All of it fascinating, energetic, strange and even weird. At that time "The Circus" meant the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus ... there was no other. P.T. Barnum's Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome was started in 1875. Later it combined with the Cooper and Bailey Circus and renamed the Barnum & Bailey Circus - The Greatest Show on Earth. The Ringling Brothers merged it together with their circus about 1907.

Barnum & Bailey Circus ad from London Illustrated 1896.

We found this little book The Circus by author/illustrator Jean Brown. It was done in 1938, before television's impact. It captures both the innocence and amazement of Bobby and Betty as they experience all the wonders of worlds that they have never seen before. I have copied the color illustrations from this wonderful little book. Enjoy!


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