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Photos from the Glory Days of the Sideshow Banner

Posted in art, Auction, Photography, tagged freak show, sideshow, sideshow banner on November 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Anonymous Photography. Crowd In Front of Freak Show Banners. Slotin Folk Art Auction, November 10, 2013

This weekend, a selection of vintage photos of carnival and circus sideshow fronts is up for bid at Slotin Folk Art’s fall auction. Though the photographs are black-and-white or sepia-toned, they convey how the flashy, spirited canvas banners entranced the eye and reverberated in the imagination.

Anonymous Photography. Juanita Snake Dancing Woman. Slotin Folk Art Auction, November 10, 2013

When P.T. Barnum first brought itinerant entertainers together under one roof in his dime museum (which actually cost 25 cents), he had the building’s facade emblazoned with oval paintings and oversized banners. It boosted his ticket sales by $100 a day, or so he claimed. After the turn of the century, hundreds of circus and carnival sideshows toured the country, and long, glorious banner lines advertising a variety of popular entertainments competed with each other to attract customers.

Simmer Studio Wenatchee. Mason’s Wonderland A Circus In Itself. Black and white photography. Slotin Folk Art Auction, November 10, 2013

The above photo shows half of the banner line from a 17-inch wide photo for “Mason’s Wonderland – A Circus In Itself – Living Wonder of Air, Land and Sea.” A Giant Devilfish, Baboon Dog, Kangaroo Goat, and Mouse Circus were among the attractions in this sideshow, which toured the West Coast in the 1920s when carnival midways consisted of a dozen different sideshows and just a few rides.

Kay Bros. Sideshow & Menagerie. Black and white photo. Slotin Folk Art Auction, November 10, 2013

Professional banner painters working for canvas companies and private studios in New York, Chicago and other cities vied for commissions. “It’s the FRONT! of the show that gets the dough” was the catchy slogan that Caldwell’s Banner Studio in Los Angeles stencilled on the back of their canvases and trumpeted in trade magazines.

Anonymous Photography. The Bandit King. Black and white freak show banner postcard. Slotin Folk Art Auction, November 10, 2013

By the 1950s, Billboard reporter Tom Parkinson was not exaggerating when he wrote that sideshow banner lines had “stopped more people than all the art museums in the nation and set more jaws ajar than surrealistic art.”

Slotin Folk Art’s live auction will be held at Historic Buford Hall in Buford, Georgia on November 9 and 10. Absentee, phone and online bidding are also available on auction days.

Anonymous Tin Type Photograph. Group In Front of Bull Banner. Slotin Folk Art Auction, November 10, 2013

Up for Auction: Vintage Cast-Iron & Tin Toy Ferris Wheels

Posted in Auction, video, tagged Chein, Ferris wheel, Penny Toy, tin toy, vintage toy on November 4, 2013| 4 Comments »

Hubley Ferris Wheel, Bertoia auctions, November 8, 2013

Last week, the cars were removed for the winter from Deno’s Wonder Wheel as Coney Island’s amusement parks closed for the season. Meanwhile, vintage toy Ferris wheels, which are perenially popular with collectors, are up for bid at several auction houses. These old-fashioned toys would look enchanting set up under the Christmas tree. This clockwork-driven Hubley Ferris Wheel is made of cast-iron and tin. The 17-inch tall toy has six original gondolas and a dozen riders. It will be on the auction block at Bertoia’s Christmas Wishes Auction in Vineland, NJ, on November 8, and via online bidding. The pre-sale estimate is $1,000-$1,200.

Penny Toy Ferris Wheel, Bertoia Auctions, November 9, 2013

This circa 1920 miniature Penny Toy Ferris Wheel was manufactured in Germany by Meier. The tin toy features four gondolas and is just two-and-a-half inches tall. Its pre-sale estimate is $250-$350. Along with the Chein Ferris Wheel shown below, it will be sold on November 9th at the second session of the Christmas Wishes Auction.

Chein Ferris Wheel, Bertoia Auctions, November 9

The Chein Ferris Wheel sports Mickey Mouse’s face on the hub of the wheel. Another version features a clown’s face. The 16-1/2 inch tall lithographed tin wheel is clockwork activated and has a pre-sale estimate of $200-$300. There’s also a Chein toy roller coaster, rocket ship and carousel in the sale. The Ferris Wheel whirls really fast!

Up for Auction: Sputnik Arcade Game, Gypsy Fortuneteller

Posted in Amusement Game, Artifacts, Auction, tagged antique arcade, arcade game, fortuneteller, Journey into Space, sputnik on October 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Coin-Op “Sputnik” Space-Themed Skill Game. Victorian Casino Antique Auction, Oct 13, 2013

Vintage arcade games and coin-op fortunetelling machines are among the collectibles on the auction block this weekend at Victorian Casino Antiques in Las Vegas. Online bidding is already underway for the October 12-13 sale. A number of the items like this very rare Sputnik Journey into Space-themed machine have strong graphic appeal. The arcade game was inspired by Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite. Launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, the Earth orbiting satellite began the Space Age and triggered the Space Race with the U.S. The countertop game (Lot #1151) was manufactured in the UK in the 1950s by Parker’s Automatic Supplies. It works with a large British penny and approximately 30 coins are included in the lot.

According to a post on the Penny Machines Forum, “Parker’s Automatic Supplies Ltd. were established in Rhyl in 1947 by Solomon Parker in order to supply new machines for the Parker-owned Black Cat Arcade on the promenade. They copied and improved upon existing designs and started to supply machines to other operators on a small scale. Their machines had a good reputation for reliability, had colourful, expressive backflashes and attractive veneered cases.”

The coin-op “Esmeralda” type fortune teller machine (Lot #688) is equipped with an Edison Cylinder Player and in working condition with keys. The manufacturer of this very old, rare machine is unknown. The starting bid is $10,000.