Roland Butler
Collection of Circus Photos Compiled by a Famed Press Agent, 1920s-40s
Silver prints (42)
From 7 x 9 to 14 x 11 inches; most 8 x 10 inches
Most bearing “Roland Butler” collection stamp verso
Most flush-mounted to board
Most bearing “Roland Butler” collection stamp verso
Most flush-mounted to board
Further images
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A lively look at the Golden Age of the American circus, this dynamic collection of photography comes from the collection of longtime Barnum and Bailey press agent Roland Butler, a...
A lively look at the Golden Age of the American circus, this dynamic collection of photography comes from the collection of longtime Barnum and Bailey press agent Roland Butler, a consummate showman and coiner of the phrase “the circus is coming.”
There are pictures of many notable clowns, such as Lou Jacobs, Emmett Kelly, and Pat Valdo. Photographs related to circus-owners include a portrait of John Ringling taken by the famed circus photographer Edward J. Kelty and a studio portrait of Clifton Sparks Jr., the young son of Sparks Circus founder, shown smiling widely while a lion cub sleeps on his leg. One fun photo shows three trained elephants bearing oversized placards which read “Hoover” “Lowden” and “Dawes,” referencing the Republican primary of 1928. Also included are shots of acrobats, roustabouts, lions and their tamers, and other staples of the big top. A highlight of the collection are the photographs of children lined up with excitement to see their favorite acts. Other commercial photographers represented in the collection include Bill Nottingham and the Chester photo service.
During his long career, Roland Butler was considered the best-known circus press agent in the US. His 1961 New York Times obituary declared him to be a master of exaggeration and hyperbole whose trumpet call to entertainment usually employed some type of adjectival barrage or or antediluvian English and who, it was said, had a conversation voice that would carry a quarter mile in the rain.
There are pictures of many notable clowns, such as Lou Jacobs, Emmett Kelly, and Pat Valdo. Photographs related to circus-owners include a portrait of John Ringling taken by the famed circus photographer Edward J. Kelty and a studio portrait of Clifton Sparks Jr., the young son of Sparks Circus founder, shown smiling widely while a lion cub sleeps on his leg. One fun photo shows three trained elephants bearing oversized placards which read “Hoover” “Lowden” and “Dawes,” referencing the Republican primary of 1928. Also included are shots of acrobats, roustabouts, lions and their tamers, and other staples of the big top. A highlight of the collection are the photographs of children lined up with excitement to see their favorite acts. Other commercial photographers represented in the collection include Bill Nottingham and the Chester photo service.
During his long career, Roland Butler was considered the best-known circus press agent in the US. His 1961 New York Times obituary declared him to be a master of exaggeration and hyperbole whose trumpet call to entertainment usually employed some type of adjectival barrage or or antediluvian English and who, it was said, had a conversation voice that would carry a quarter mile in the rain.