Ringling-Barnum Three Sheets (circa 1935)

The "Three-Sheet" lithographs was a workhorse of the billposters hod from the late 1800s well into the mid-20th Century. At approximately 42"x 80" the "three sheet" is nearly seven feet tall. Usually made up of three individual "one-sheet" posters, it was small enough to be posted in a large store window, yet big enough to be pasted to a fence or barn where it would be easily seen from a block away. The three Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey posters seen here were produced in various sizes during the 1930s - but the three sheet versions are possibly the most dramatic. Whether it is Dortothy Herbert on a rearing horse, Hubert Castle on the wire, or a lion ready to leap off the wall, these nearly life-size images capture the excitement of what was to come with the arrival of the big show.