Sunday, November 27, 2005

Barnum & Bailey Street Parade 1903/ Two Hemispheres band wagon


In 1903 when the Greatest Show on Earth returned from it's five year tour of Europe, James A. Bailey had these magnificent parade wagons built to compete with the Ringling brothers who had made remarkable inroads during his absence.
This is the largest, most expensive and best remembered parade vehicle ever built and remains in existance today.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Two Hemispheres wagon was built in 1896 by Sebastian Wagon Co., New York City and the carvings were done by Spanger Bros., Chicago. The wagon was built for Barnum & Bailey and cost $40,000.
The wagon was drawn by a "24 horse hitch" of matched bays in the United States and by a "40 horse hitch" in Europe.
The number of the wagon on the canvas cover was 142-143 and was letterd "Property of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus".