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An original 5x7" vintage photo (NOT a modern reprint) from a series of unpublished vernacular images documenting the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus over an approximately 15-year span (mainly 1941-55) taken by and from the estate of Chicago photographer Frank R. Parker.
This photo is from a fascinating archive of never before seen personal photos taken of the Ringling Bros circus that we acquired from a major sale house. It is likely the only copy of this photo.
Photo Overview
A candid backyard moment at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, captured by Chicago photographer Frank R. Parker in the late 1940s. A young woman, very likely a showgirl or performer with the show, stands with her hands on her hips in a high-waisted floral two-piece swimsuit and black heels. Beside her, a young man in a light work jacket, cuffed dark denim jeans and two-tone shoes leans against a wooden platform and sips from a paper cup.
Behind them rises the heavy canvas sidewall of a circus tent, with its scalloped valance, guy ropes and rigging clearly visible. This is the off-stage world audiences never saw: the backyard where performers and workingmen relaxed between shows. The woman\'s swimsuit and hairstyle are textbook late 1940s pin-up fashion, making this an appealing image for circus collectors and for fans of vintage swimwear and mid-century Americana. It comes from a series of unpublished vernacular photographs that Parker took of the RBBB circus over about 15 years, mainly 1941-55. This print is likely the only copy in existence.
Historical Notes
Frank R. Parker photographed the Ringling show during the last great era of the traveling canvas circus. After the 1944 Hartford fire, Ringling replaced its big top with flame-proofed canvas and rebuilt its reputation. Postwar seasons such as the one shown here drew huge crowds as the show moved by rail from town to town. That way of life soon ended. Rising costs, labor disputes and the growth of television forced John Ringling North to fold the tents for good after a performance near Pittsburgh on July 16, 1956. From then on, the Greatest Show on Earth played only indoor arenas.
The tented backyard scenes Parker recorded, with performers in costume and crew in work clothes sharing a quiet moment beside the canvas, disappeared with that decision. That makes candid photographs like this one a rare record of the people who lived and worked under the big top in its final decade.
Browse our complete Ringling Bros Circus photograph collection.
Print analysis
This is a vintage gelatin silver print, consistent with late 1940s photographic paper and printing. It is believed to have been printed by or for the photographer shortly after the negative was exposed, making it a Type 1 original. The reverse is unmarked, with light toning and pale patches consistent with removal from an album or mount.
Condition
In good to excellent vintage condition. The backside of some of the photos in this collection have remnants from having been in a cardboard album.
Please see scans of the images we have provided for the most accurate and complete state of the photo.
