From Richard Flint #2

As blog viewers easily will discover, this is the same image and same horse but featuring a different rider as the poster shown on the blog Wednesday morning. From 1899 to 1901 Jupiter was described in the Ringling program as the “wonderful bucking, jumping, high kicking and perpendicularly walking horse.” In 1899, Jupiter was ridden by Ada Costello (see my comments in response to the earlier posting headed “Buckles #5” showing this same design but featuring a different performer), in 1900 he was ridden by “Madame Noble” as seen in this poster copyrighted that year, and in 1901 his rider was Minnie Fisher until mid-season when Mrs. Fred Jenks took over. As typical, the horse was likely owned by the show but he is not featured in later years. Jupiter was not an uncommon name for a show horse but whether this high-spirited white horse became the white “Balloon Horse Jupiter” on the Ringling-owned Barnum show in 1909-1911 is open for conjecture. Both this poster featuring Madame Noble and the earlier one posted by Buckles were printed by Courier of Buffalo, NY, the much-favored show poster house of the Ringling brothers. It is a superb rendering of the horse and quite decorative with its flourishes reflecting the art nouveau movement which would have been reaching its peak of popularity just about when this poster was used. Perhaps technically but certainly artistically it exceeds anything that the often vaunted Strobirdge firm produced! I don’t know much about Madame Noble but it is interestingly to note that a J.E. Noble trouped a circus with the Dan Castello name as the title in 1890. Dick Flint Baltimore