Here are the supposed Christy
brothers as seen on some of the lithos. Some paper identifies them from left as
John, H. A., Charles, W. M.and G. W. but some collectors have thought that was Buffalo Bill on the left
with Barnum next to him.
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Friday, May 29, 2015
From Dave Price
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7 comments:
Long time Houston friend of the Christy's, Joe Heiser, always said that this was George and Harold Christy, Buffalo Bill and the Smith Bros of cough drop fame.
These portraits are also seen on the main sideshow banner in picture #5.
Talk about unflattering portraits. Wonder what the subjects thought, probably didn't care as long as there were butts in the seats.
PJ: I knew Joe Heiser. If he had said that to me I would have mentioned that the Smith Bros (Trade and Mark) had beards.
Well Dave, I was a gullible 13-14 year old kid and didn't notice the lack of beards. lol so 45 years later, Mr. Heiser got the last one on me!
He did over the years, show me his photo collection of all the shows he had taken photos of during the 30's. A lot of them have been in the White Tops, etc. and most of them are in Baraboo now.
PJ: A lot of Joe's collection went to the Houston Pubic Library's collection where it is called the "Heiser-Alban Collection of Circus Historical Materials." I have no idea who Alban was.
Most of Joe's stuff is still there. You can look at it on line.
Joe's circus photos some how left the library collection and ended up at the CWM.
I looked at them up there in 97 or 98 and tried to explain where each group was taken to no avail. Joe worked for one of the oil companies downtown and the Hagenbeck-Wallace parade photos he took from the awning of his office building in downtown Houston are great. The Rice Hotel is right across the street and it looks like they stopped each wagon so Joe could take a photo.
His early rodeo lithos also are not at the library either, but I think the Houston Rodeo Assc. has them on loan and they display them.
His wildlife material is also at the library. I think his dad was one of the 1st park directors in Houston.
p.j.
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