Austin Bros. Circus

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, posters, stationery, and ephemera related to circuses in the United States and abroad.

Scope and Contents Collection of b/w circus snapshots primarily featuring performers (trapeze artists, clowns, elephant and horseback riders) behind the scenes, set-up crews and animal handlers, as well as circus company trains, transport caravans, and circus animals (camels, elephants, horses, dogs). Many photos bear handwritten notes about location, date and/or the performer's name on verso; several are stamped with the Peoria and Decatur, Illinois addresses of circusiana hobbyists Roy Frietsch and Bert...