Wednesday, January 23, 2008

More Circus Canvas #5


Scan000010749, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

John Ringling North and Norman Bel Geddes version of what a circus should look like. It's a terrible lot, everything spotted wherever they could squeeze it in.
The performers had to walk about three blocks to the back door.

Posted by Buckles at 1/23/2008 07:04:00 AM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the 1941 Life magazine photo I refer to in the first of this circus canvas series. Note the striped sidewall on the round end of the horse tent in the upper left. It was taken in New Bedford, Mass.
Dick Flint
Baltimore

23 January, 2008 09:48
Anonymous said...

In this pic the “horse fair” tent does not seem to be connected to the menagerie. The narrow lot configuration in New Bedford likely prevented it.

Another aerial view, taken from above the commodious Chicago lot in 1941, shows that it is so connected. (color photo in the Tibbals collection).

My admittedly hazy memory from Atlanta in 1939 tells me that my Dad and I entered the “horse fair” via the menagerie. Of course, that was its first year of use. By 1941 management may not have thought it as important as in the previous two years.

I always thought the 1941 RBBB show was the largest circus I ever saw. I felt validated in my feeling when I learned that the late Col. Woodcock was of the same view.

23 January, 2008 12:59
Buckles said...

As mentioned previously on the Blog, my folks and I visited the Ringling Show in 1941 while we were with Wallace Bros. I was six.
I vividly recall the side show performance, the horse fair with the horses facing outward and my father talking with a group of people near the elephants (no doubt elephant men)but nothing of the big top or performance. Probably fell asleep.

23 January, 2008 13:40

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