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Writer's pictureSamantha McNesby

Free Vintage Circus Poster with Barnum and Bailey

Updated: Jan 13

Today I have a vintage circus printable for you -- one you can use as is or incorporate into a different design.

Old circus posters and things are becoming more difficult to come by, as collectors grab them up and prices soar -- a few years ago I picked up some authentic vintage circus posters for about $20 each, now these same posters are going for 10 times that at bigger auctions :) I'm not selling, but I'm not cutting them up either!


Quick note -- this is a low resolution photo of this vintage image -- you want the big, high resolution one you can download below :)


Here's a look at the original:



Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. We participate in the Amazon Affiliate program (and spend far too much on craft supplies!)


This is pretty typical of the circus posters of the time, in terms of color, though the horse racing is a little different. What sets this one apart is the men pictured on the sides of the sheet, Barnum and Bailey. While their names were present everywhere, images of them are not nearly as heavily used.


This daguerreotype is of PT Barnum, from 1851 (note he looks a little different than his Greatest Showman movie version). Want the free PT Barnum printable for your junk journal? Just click the photo to be taken to the download page for your own high resolution copy. This image is public domain, from Wikimedia commons (see more on finding images for commercial use on Wikimedia Commons here).




About Vintage Circus Posters

Barnum and Bailey posters often showcased their oddities and talents, obviously this poster is a little off it you take a closer look, the horse is racing the jockey!








Here is an other public domain image of Barnum and Bailey, created much later in their lives, based on the date and on the images. Click the photo to download your own high resolution version:




Barnum and Baily public domain image found here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barnum_and_Bailey_-_3b52428u.jpg


How to Use the Vintage Circus Printable: I ended up using this image, along with a few other vintage circus graphics to design a circus ticket printable -- with these gold circus graphics from Crella (I have the subscription):


As for the original horse race poster, I've cleaned it up a bit and optimized it for printing from your home printer. You can get your own copy of this high resolution image below. It will work for any type of printable, including for junk journals -- and the resolution is good enough you can print it oversized. Just click the button below for the high resolution, altered copy.









What Type of Paper is Best for Printables? About Cardstock


Cardstock comes in different weights -- the one I like best for dimensional projects like this one is 11o lb. It is a little heavier than the 90 lb and holds folds really well. The one I use is below, but any 110 lb paper is a good choice. The reason I like this brand is I can get a pack of 250 sheets for under $10 -- the HP paper is the same quality but $14 for 250 sheets :)




















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