Barnum & Bailey: Charles 1st The Marvelous Chimpanzee
Maker
The Strobridge Lithographing Company
(American, 1867 – 1960)
Date1910
MediumInk on paper
Dimensions1 sheet (V): 38 3/4 x 29 in. (98.4 x 73.7 cm)
ClassificationsPosters
Credit LineTibbals Circus Collection
Object numberht2000305
Not only did the circus display trained animals, it also showcased animals that exhibited human-like qualities. Learned pigs, skating bears, and telephoning elephants became part of the circus performance. One act that blurred the boundary between human and animal was Charles I, a chimpanzee, who performed as an acrobat and cyclist. The design of the poster is unusual as it depicted a day in the chimpanzee's life outside the ring rather than performing. A newspaper account commenting on Charles's close resemblance to the human family noted that within "there seems a shine the divine spark of human fire."
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