Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Sparks Circus 1930-31#5

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Posted by Buckles at 4/10/2007 06:25:00 AM

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Dolphin tableau was built by Moeller Bros. of Baraboo for the revived Forepaugh-Sells show (it had been off the road in 1909) in 1910 and was there for its final 1911 season. The wagon sat around Baraboo about a decade until the time Sparks had Moeller construct some baggage and cage wagons about 1921 when this wagon may have been purchased from the Ringlings at the same time. In any event, it was on Sparks throughout the 20's as their number two bandwagon and then follows the same fate as the Dancing Girls, whose history I have provided in the comments section of its picture. The other blog photo of this wagon with a white background, as well as the Dancing Girls with its white background, reflect paint changes inaugurated in 1929 by Corporation manager H.B. Gentry who was fond of the color, famously having used it on Sells-Floto when he was manager back in 1917-20.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

10 April, 2007 17:48
Anonymous said...

This tableau was never with Forepaugh-Sells, being built in 1924 directly for Sparks. That legend was laid to rest by Rick Pfening back in the 1960s, in an article about the Forepaugh-Sells parade in Bandwagon. The attribution to Sparks arose from discussions between Henry Moeller, Jr. and C. P. Fox, who institutionalized it in his book Circus Parades. It's one of several known instances when Henry's memory failed him. There is absolutely no data within all of the detailed 1910-1911 Forepaugh-Sells documentation that places this wagon there, nor do any photographs exist placing it there. It's not mentioned in any of the Ringling winter quarters ledger sales, etc. Henry said that one of the Ringlings wrote comments on the drawing, but all of the surviving Moeller sketches are for the Sparks order--nothing for Ringling. Further, if it wasn't built for Sparks in 1924, then explain what tableau was built in 1924 by Moeller for Sparks.

26 April, 2007 21:49

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