Search the Wisconsin Historical Society's collections

Searching for

Refine by

Results 1-20 of 98

Photograph

State Fair Side Show Attractions

Date: 
Description: State Fair barker announcing side show attractions to a crowd of children, featuring "Midget City, the World's Tiniest Entertainers" and "Baby Thelma, 619 ...
Photograph

Circus Workers Giving Elephants a Drink

Date: 08 05 1927
Description: Two circus workers standing next to a water wagon pulled by a McCormick-Deering tractor. The men are providing water for three elephants outside the tents ...
Photograph

Elephants Drinking from Wagon Pulled by McCormick-Deering Tractor

Date: 08 05 1927
Description: Elephants drinking water from a wagon pulled by a McCormick-Deering industrial tractor outside a circus tent belonging to the Sells-Floto Circus. Circus wo...
Photograph

Elephants in Circus Parade

Date: 
Description: Several elephants walk up a hill in a circus parade along Main Street. They are followed by a group of horses, while bystanders watch from a platform on t...
Photograph

Diamond Kitty of the Shrine Circus

Date: 
Description: "Diamond Kitty," a performer with the Shrine Circus, poses with a large group of people in front of the sideshow tent housing the "World's Fattest People" ...
Photograph

Lincoln Street Circus

Date: 08 22 1931
Description: Group portrait taken in Vilas Park of children, and a few adults, some in costume, from the Lincoln Street-West Side area, who put on a circus to raise mon...
Photograph

Ringling Brothers Circus at Madison Airport

Date: 08 12 1930
Description: Elevated view of the Ringling Brothers Circus at Madison airport from the top of a hangar located on Coolidge between North and Kedzie.
Photograph

YMCA Circus Group

Date: 04 28 1944
Description: Group portrait of children participating in a YMCA circus.
Photograph

Goodyear Blimp at the Fair

Date: 1936
Description: The blimp of the Goodyear Tire Company hovers above the carnival area of the Wisconsin State Fair, tethered to the ground with ropes. The fairgoers, howev...
Photograph

Cub Scouts with Miniature Circus

Date: 04 26 1945
Description: Six scouts, all members of Den 1, Pack 309, of the Lapham School Cub Scouts, with a toy circus displayed in the window of the F.W. Karstens store, 24 North...
Photograph

Man Riding Elephant in Circus Parade

Date: 
Description: Rear view of a man riding an elephant in a circus parade through town. Crowds line the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
Photograph

Whitbeck Motion Picture Elephants

Date: 04 04 1947
Description: Pictured are three elephants from Whitbeck Motion Pictures, California, and Robert Zimmerman, assistant secretary of state and board member of Circus Fans ...
Photograph

Ballweg Benefit Circus

Date: 08 04 1948
Description: Portrait of three Proudfit Street kids who produced a circus for the benefit of the Ballweg family, victims of a tornado at Springfield Hill. They are, lef...
Photograph

Sauk County's Wisconsin Centennial Parade

Date: 08 14 1948
Description: Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus float in Sauk County's Wisconsin Centennial Parade on street downtown with a large crowd in the street and park...
Photograph

National Federation of Women's Republican Clubs

Date: 06 28 1949
Description: Advisory board members of the National Federation of Women's Republican Clubs being entertained by the antics of a circus elephant in the Capitol park duri...
Photograph

Stake Driving Crew

Date: 05 31 1898
Description: The stake driving crew for the Sells Bros. & Forepaugh Circus. A group of men drive several stakes into the ground.
Photograph

Crowd Watching the Circus Parade

Date: 
Description: Elevated view of crowd on streets and sidewalks near an intersection watching a circus wagon pulled by a team of six horses in a circus parade in town.
Photograph

Lowell School Easter Circus

Date: 04 05 1950
Description: It was Easter Circus time in the East Side Lowell school and hallways this week. Several of Betty Becker's second grade pupils, creators of the paper mach...
Photograph

Broadway Street

Date: 1895
Description: A man walks across the unpaved street in the Broadway Street business district, with automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles along the curb. There is a hill i...
Photograph

Dan Rice Home

Date: 1895
Description: View of the two-story Girard, Pennsylvania home of Dan Rice (1/23/1823 – 2/22/1900), entertainer and circus performer widely regarded as "America's most fa...

Have Questions?

If you didn't find the material you searched for, our Library Reference Staff can help.

Call our reference desk at 608-264-6535 or email us at: