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Fantastic vintage 1960 Ringling Bros. “Army of 50 Clowns” circus poster, published by the Circus World Museum. This is the wonderfully chaotic Ringling Bros. World’s Greatest Shows image featuring an enormous gathering of colorful circus clowns, with the bold ARMY OF 50 CLOWNS banner across the bottom.
The lower-left margin is printed “COPYRIGHT 1960 CIRCUS WORLD MUSEUM,” while the lower-right corner carries the small MINIPOSTER mark. Documented examples of this same poster identify it as part of the Circus World Museum's 1960 series reproducing historic circus advertising artwork.
This is an actual 1960 vintage printing, not a newly produced decorative poster.
It measures approximately 19 inches wide by 13¼ inches high.
The artwork is terrific, with dozens of individually rendered clowns filling nearly the entire composition. Oversized clown portraits anchor both sides while the center is packed with performers in an assortment of costumes, makeup and comic poses. The large red RINGLING BROS lettering and warm muted palette give it exactly the classic American circus look collectors want.
The poster remains unframed and displays very well despite its age. There is overall toning and age discoloration to the paper, along with edge and corner wear, small creases, minor tears and losses, most noticeably at the lower-left corner.
There are also remnants of old mounting tape/adhesive on the reverse. I have left everything as found rather than attempting restoration or cleaning.
An especially fun piece for a Ringling Bros. collection, vintage circus collection, clown collection, carnival display, sideshow collection, Americana wall, eclectic gallery wall or maximalist interior. The imagery is colorful, strange and wonderfully theatrical—the kind of vintage advertising artwork that can dominate a wall even at this relatively compact size.
A great survivor from the Circus World Museum's early years, preserving the spectacular visual language of the traveling American circus in a format made for another generation of circus enthusiasts.
