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Milner Library

Charles Clarke Circus Photos Collection

Unknown equestrian and circus horses.

Exactly how these photographs came to be remains a mystery.

Photographs of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the 1920s are especially scarce. With that said, however, for some unknown reason Charles Clarke, a leaper in the world-renowned aerial act, The Clarkonians, was in possession of (and/or quite possibly the photographer of) a cache of images that show the “Big One” from the inside out. The negatives were eventually given to Sverre O. Braathen by the Clarke family decades after they were taken.

While time has caused damage to many of the volatile nitrate negatives in this collection, what remains of these largely unseen images truly is a window back in time.

What can you expect to see?

  • World famous performers like Lillian Leitzel, May Wirth, and Con Colleano are shown at their most vital
  • Rare shots inside the tent during performances
  • Spectacle wardrobe tests
  • Candid midway scenes of crowds clamoring about grease joints, side-show ballyhoos, and other Circus Day delights

How to Access

View the Collection

Special Collections
Milner Library, Floor 6

Collection Contact

Maureen Brunsdale
Head of Special Collections and Rare Books
mbruns1@IllinoisState.edu

Other Circus Digital Collections

View the Circus Collections

Collection Highlights

  • Elephants in menagerie top.

    Circus animals

    In addition to equestrian acts and performing dogs, exotic animals have been a part of the Barnum and Bailey empire from the very beginning, when in 1808 Hachaliah Bailey purchased Indian elephant Old Bet to be the star attraction in his newly-founded circus.

  • Unidentified performer in wardrobe.

    Wonderful wardrobes

    Glamorous gowns, shimmering spangles, and lithe leotards costume the cast in the ring, around the backyard, and on parade!

  • Group of unidentified men in backyard.

    Ringling-Barnum employees

    Circuses rely on their behind-the-scenes staff as much as their star performers. Barnum & Bailey cooks, grooms, mechanics, porters, riggers, ushers, and more make sure the show will go on, even during the lean years of the Great Depression.

  • Performers in spectacle wardrobe with a spectacle float in the backyard.

    Spectacle scenes

    Circus shows often open with a spectacle or “spec” procession around the hippodrome track inside the big top, featuring as many performers and animals as the director can costume. Specs were originally lavish performances with literary or historical themes intended to entertain and edify the audience.

  • Contortionist in backyard.

    Caught in the act

    The ephemeral arts of the sawdust circle immortalized in cellulose.

  • A child with a goat in the backyard.

    In the backyard

    Behind the big top and away from the fairway, circus staff practice their skills, visit with family, and relax in the sun while awaiting their moment in the spotlight.

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