Examples of circus handbills from John McCarthy’s unique collection of Irish circus memorabilia. These “handbills” hark back to the era before “spin” was invented, when the handbills and the “advance men” marketed and sold the upcoming circus with these glorious posters and handbills. They “told the tale” with great hyperbole and swagger. These posters record for posterity a world that was disappearing and being renewed at the same time. These haunting images bring back the sadness, the joy and the laughter all over again.
