Circus is Staying in Town on Stamps

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Children Of All Ages… step right up and share the magic of the circus as the U.S. Postal Service today issues the new, limited-edition Vintage Circus Posters Forever stamps. With the help of a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ringmaster and clowns, the new stamps were unveiled during an interactive stamp dedication ceremony held at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL.

The new Vintage Circus Posters Forever stamps are modeled after original circus posters — including those promoting the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus — and are now part of the Tibbals Digital Collection at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

“P.T. Barnum, the great American showman, businessman and founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, once wrote that ‘the noblest art is that of making others happy.’ At the Postal Service, we think these new stamps will do a spectacular job of doing just that,” said Ellen Williams, member, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service, in dedicating the new stamps.

“We hope people will proudly display these new stamps on all their cards, letters and packages and, just like the circus does, we hope they will bring joy, wonder and amazement into the lives of everyone who receives them.”

The circus has brought together Americans of all ages and walks of life to watch the amazing acts and let imaginations soar. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, companies such as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey used evocative posters to let people know that an exciting attraction was coming to town.