Description:

Wonderful Barnum, Bailey, & Hutchinson Show Blank Letterhead, Ca. 1880s

A piece of unused letterhead commemorating the merger between P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show On Earth and the Great London Circus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United. 1p, measuring 8.25" x 10.75", n.p., undated. The top half features portrait engravings of Bailey, Barnum, and associate James L. Hutchinson side by side, with the last digit of the year "188_" purposefully left blank. Below in smaller print, it boasts the show as a "museum of celestial giants, noted m*dget people, and animate, inanimate, and automatic spectacles--", among other attractions. Expected wear, including darkened edge toning and some ink markings to lower half of page. Overall, very good condition.

Before becoming business partners, P.T. Barnum and James Bailey worked independently as competitors, the former with his "Greatest Show on Earth" and the latter under the Cooper and Bailey Circus. By the beginning of the 1880s, Bailey's circus began outperforming that of Barnum, prompting the showman to merge their two acts under the name listed on this page, eventually just shortening to the more iconic "Barnum and Bailey". Joined by Barnum's associate James L. Hutchinson, the three made their way on a grand and notably expensive tour. Regarding their travels, Barnum is quoted as saying "The public were astonished at our audacity, and old showmen declared that we could never take in enough money to cover our expenses, which would be fully forty-five hundred dollars per day."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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March 15, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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$50,000 + $5,000