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An original 4.5x2.5" vintage photo (NOT a modern reprint) from a collection of well documented Hagenbeck-Wallace circus photos. This photo originated from the personal collection of Joseph Bradbury, noted circus historian and collector.
Provenance: Joseph Bradbury was a renowned circus historian and a president of the Circus Historical Society who specialized in the documentation of circus equipment and wagons. He is widely recognized for his extensive research and photography, which preserved the history of early 20th-century shows. We acquired this from his estate at sale.
Photo Overview
This charming 1934 snapshot captures the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus 'Performing Seals' cage wagon loaded on a railroad flatcar, ready for transport to the next tour stop. The ornately decorated wagon, with its arched wire-mesh panels and painted lettering, sits atop a flatcar clearly stenciled 'CIRCUS' along its side. A circus worker can be seen standing in a doorway to the right. The photo comes from the personal collection of Joseph Bradbury, a president of the Circus Historical Society and one of America's foremost circus historians and wagon documentation specialists - lending exceptional provenance to this piece.
This small 4.5x2.5 inch snapshot is a gem for circus wagon and railroad circus historians alike, capturing the everyday logistics of one of America's great traveling shows during the Depression era.
Historical Notes
The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was one of the 'Big Four' American railroad circuses of the early 20th century, alongside Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey, and the American Circus Corporation. By 1934, the show had been absorbed into the American Circus Corporation and then folded under the Ringling Bros. umbrella in 1929, though it continued to tour under its own banner. The early 1930s were grueling years for traveling circuses - the Great Depression savaged ticket sales industry-wide. Hagenbeck-Wallace soldiered on through the mid-1930s before finally ceasing operations as an independent touring unit in 1938, with its wagons, animals, and equipment absorbed into the broader Ringling organization. The ornate animal cage wagons like this seal wagon represent a style of circus wagon craftsmanship that was rapidly dying out by the 1930s, making photographs like this one important historical documents.
Text Present
Front of photo - on the wagon: 'PERFORMING SEALS'
Front of photo - on the flatcar: '[H-W]ACE CIRCUS'
Front of photo - lower right corner: '49' (handwritten)
Back of photo - handwritten in pencil: 'H-W 1934 / Seal Cage'
Print analysis
This appears to be an original snapshot photograph taken in 1934, consistent with the snapshot paper stock and image style of the period. The small format (4.5x2.5 inches) is typical of personal camera snapshots from the early 1930s. This is assessed as a Type 1 original print, made at or very close to the time the photo was taken.
Condition
Please see photos for condition. In fair to good vintage condition.
