Italy, from Barnum and Bailey Europe Circus Wagon: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This wooden figure representing the nation of Italy was part of a tableau set atop the Barnum and Bailey's Circus' Europe Parade Wagon. The wagon was one of four Continental Floats, used by Barnum and Bailey and modeled off architectural features found on the Prince Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, London, UK. Each of the floats was intended to represent one of the four corners of the British Empire, the others being Africa, America and Asia.

The Continental Floats were used as part of Barnum and Bailey's Circus procession, in which the newly arrived Circus paraded through town in a spectacular fashion, generating excitement from spectators as it hauled equipment, animals and workers to it's performance site.

The Wagon was made by the Sebastian Wagon Company, and was first employed by the Circus around 1903.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca 1902 - 1903
• user: Barnum & Bailey Circus
• maker: Sebastian Wagon Company
• maker: Robb, Samuel A.
• Object Name: figure, circus wagon
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: paint (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 74 in x 51 in x 90 in; 187.96 cm x 129.54 cm x 228.6 cm
• used: Circus
• Subject: Parades
• ID Number: CL.65.1046B
• accession number: 256396
• catalog number: 65.1046B
• Credit Line: The Eleanor and Mabel Van Alstyne American Folk Art Collection
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.