Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey

Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows appearing in La Crosse, Wisconsin, August 16, 1936

The Ringling Bros Circus was founded in Baraboo, Wisconsin, in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling Brothers. It first began with Albert (1852-1916), Otto  (1858-1911), Alfred (1861-1919), Charles (1863-1926) and John (1866-1936) each who played a different role in running the circus. By 1930s the Ringling Brothers Circus was one of the largest and most famous circus performances in the world. However, one of their largest competitors was the Barnum & Bailey Circus also traveling throughout America at the time. When James Bailey died in 1906 the Ringling Bros. Circus bought the Barnum and Bailey Circus but kept them as two separate shows. 

This advertising leaflet is from 1936 and its' title is “Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus, the Greatest Show on Earth” because when World War I started they combined the circus into one large show. With this leaflet they are trying to capture the audience's attention through the “Smallest Pigmy Elephants” feature which is mentioned at least once on all pages. They are also emphasizing their size and credibility through mentioning their founders, “The Circus Kings of all Time” on the middle pages as well as the numbers to prove how large of an institution they are. 

The back page mentions all the celebrities that are coming and almost everything is advertised as "never before seen" giving the audience a sense of uniqueness if they see the show. 

Overall, the leaflet is still filled with a lot of bold fonts that really shout off the page however, there is some hierarchy happening with thinner text under bold text making it a little easier to follow. The image placement is also strategic with overlapping and borders to separate pieces of text which help you flow through the page easier. These subtle shifts in less amounts of type, some more white space , and the full-page photos represent how graphic design starts to change. Instead of  just throwing as many words on the page as they can, there is some strategic placement in a way that is more pleasing to the reader.