The American Sign Museum is stepping away from its usual focus on neon signage for a new exhibition showcasing another piece of American advertising history.
“Freaks & Sideshows: American Circus Banners 1920–1970,” opening Thursday, July 30, features more than 25 hand-painted circus banners that once lined carnival midways across the country.
The show explores both the artists who created the banners and the performers they promoted, while examining how circuses used bold imagery and sensational marketing to draw crowds throughout much of the 20th century. Dating from the 1920s through the 1970s, the banners highlight a style of advertising that largely disappeared as traveling sideshows faded from the American landscape, according to ASM.
Examples of some of the banners on display are below.
The Camp Washington museum will host an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, followed by an Aug. 20 talk with collector Dave Waller, who loaned the banners for the exhibition.
“Freaks & Sideshows” runs through Oct. 4. It’s free to visit with a regular admission.
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