Trainer Walter McClain works with his elephants at the Ringling Circus stop in Sarasota, Florida. 1940.Wikimedia Commons
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A clown acts out a routine with another circus performer dressed in a lion suit. Date unspecified.Wikimedia Commons
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Strongman circus performer Alexander Marshal lifts two women holding onto a steel pull gripped in his teeth. Circa 1930s. Hulton-Deutsch/Getty Images
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A clown from Hanneford's Canadian Circus shows off his "big pants." 1910. Wikimedia Commons
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An elephant is hoisted with pulleys off a ship and onto the dock below. Date unspecified.Wikimedia Commons
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Two of Barnum & Bailey's most popular performers, circus giant George Anger and Pygmie Klik-Ko, pose for a photo. 1918. Bettmann/Getty Images
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Contortionist Salm the "elastic wonder of the world" sits atop a flower vase. Circa early 1900s. Bettmann/Getty Images
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Circus life wasn't easy for the animals. Here men gather around the body of Barnum & Bailey's deceased elephant. Fritz, France. 1902. Wikimedia Commons
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As people watch from a nearby rooftop, the family members of the Otaris aerial troupe balance upside down on a high-wire, Sarasota, Florida. 1930. Soibelman/Getty Images
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Spectators gather on the sidewalks of New York City to watch the circus parade down the street. Circa 1920s. New York Public Library
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A brave daredevil in the spotlight walks the tightrope for an audience of circus attendees. Circa early 1900s. Bettmann/Getty Images
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Olga the lion tamer, armed with only a chair and a stick, tests the patience of three male lions. Date unspecified.Hulton-Deutsch/Getty Images
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Ringling Bros Circus clown Emmett Kelly puts the finishing touches on his makeup while getting ready for the show. Sarasota, Florida. 1945.Wikimedia Commons
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One of the posters used by Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Circa 1920s. Library of Congress
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The Flying Wallendas perfect their tightrope walking routine. 1944. Bettmann/Getty Images
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The Ringling Bros ringmaster makes final preparations before starting the show for an eager audience. Circa early 1900s. Bettmann/Getty Images
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A young lion tamer named Adije poses with her feline performers. 1899.Library of Congress
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A group of kids takes a peek under the tent of the Cole Bros Circus that had set up across the street from Yankee Stadium in New York City. 1950.Bettmann/Getty Images
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Clowns Albert "Flo" White, left, and Gene Lewis from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus pose for the camera during a stop in Sarasota, Florida. 1945.Wikimedia Commons
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Children gather around to look at a circus lion housed in its cage before the start of the show. Date unspecified.Wikimedia Commons
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The crew of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus works to raise the big tent for the final show of the season: Sarasota, Florida. 1945.Wikimedia Commons
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Three women brave enough to be part of the show work with Trainer Walter McClain and his elephants. 1940.Wikimedia Commons
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A trainer works with a camel at a circus in Slovenia. 1957.Wikimedia Commons
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A trainer works with a leopard to perform tricks for circus audiences. 1906. Wikimedia Commons
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A clown in the Cole Bros Circus chats with actor Spencer Tracy during one of the circus' performances in Hollywood, California. Date unspecified. Bettmann/Getty Images
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Four performers from Hanneford's Canadian Circus pose for the camera. 1910.Wikimedia Commons
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A poster advertising the feats of acrobatics and wild animals that await visitors to the Forepaugh & Sells Circus. 1899. Wikimedia Commons
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The area directly behind the circus tent where performers prepared for and staged their entrances through the “back door” came to be known as the “backyard." 1928. Wikimedia Commons
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A female lion tamer works with a group of lions from the Bertram Mills Touring Circus. Date unspecified.Wikimedia Commons
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Because of the large number of animals as well as the physical components of the circus tent itself, many circuses used their own train cars to travel. Florida. Early 1907.Wikimedia Commons
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Men pose beside one of Barnum & Bailey's train cars before leaving for their show in the next town. Circa early 1900s. Wikimedia Commons
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A woman brushes the teeth of a circus hippo while on a break in Berlin. 1921. Haeckel/Getty Images
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Children watch as Ringling Circus clown Lou Jacobs applies his makeup in Tallahasse, Florida. 1941.Wikimedia Commons
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A trainer lunges at a lion in Brisbane, Australia. 1903. Wikimedia Commons
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A poster advertising the allure of Barnum & Bailey's first female elephant trainer. 1915. New York Public Library
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A crowd makes its way to the entrance of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. 1935.Wikimedia Commons
Under The Big Top: 36 Photos From The Early Days Of The Circus
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In May of 2017, The Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus finished its final show, ending its run of 146 years. The self-proclaimed "greatest show on Earth" had seen declining ticket sales for years and the high operating costs of such an event made it no longer feasible, the outfit's CEO Kenneth Feld, told CNN.
In a way, it doesn't seem terribly surprising that a spectacle as grand as the circus wouldn't have a place in the 21st century. On the one hand, many people these days don't have to (or want to) leave their homes for entertainment. On the other, evolving views on animal welfare caused the circus to fall under intense pressure to end its use of elephants from animal rights activists.
The negative publicity, which rarely mentioned Barnum & Bailey's conservation efforts, did eventually lead to the circus taking its elephants out of the show. The move however, wasn't enough to save the show in the end.
The idea of the modern circus — a group of performers working together under a large "big top" tent — first came about in the mid-1700s. It wasn't until the mid to late 1800s, though, that the circus really started to spring up as a premier entertainment attraction in Europe, Russia, and the United States.
The life of a circus performer wasn't an easy one. Acrobats, clowns, and other showmen were often away from family most of the year and spent most of the day working to set up the tents and waiting around for the few hours that made up showtime.
For animals, especially prior to any sort of animal welfare laws, circus life wasn't particularly kind. Elephants, lions, tigers, and other large animals that need a substantial amount of space were almost always confined to small cages. Performance training often employed abuse, and nearly all circus animals frequently suffered from medical problems.
Of course, circuses still delight audiences with spectacles of danger and acrobatics throughout the world today. Cirque du Soleil is incredibly popular and regularly sells out shows. It's safe to assume, though, that the glory days of the vintage circus of old, the "Greatest Show on Earth," are gone.
After checking out these vintage circus photos, discover the sad true stories of some of the Ringling Brothers' most famous "freak show" members, and take a closer look at the literally murderous performer known as "Lobster Boy." Then, see the most surreal photos of Andre the Giant ever taken.
Joel Stice holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with more than 10 years of experience in writing and editing, during which time his work has appeared on Heavy, Uproxx, and Buzzworthy.
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.
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Stice, Joel. "Under The Big Top: 36 Photos From The Early Days Of The Circus." AllThatsInteresting.com, July 18, 2017, https://allthatsinteresting.com/vintage-circus-photos. Accessed February 26, 2025.
