SELLS BROTHERS / JUST RETURNED FROM AUSTRALIA.

Circa 1892. 40x30 inches. Strobridge, New York. Condition B+: tears and creases in margins; horizontal fold. Paper. Upon its return from "the most remarkable and successful tour on record" the Sells Brothers Circus used their departure as a point of advertisement; showing an image of their grand send off, their magnificent ship ("the largest of the Union SS's Co's magnificent fleet") and a pair of vignettes of animals aboard the craft. The Sells Brothers created several other posters utilizing this same format, merely changing the central image and the text at the bottom, but leaving the top text and margins the same. Well known for their hyperbole and pure outrageous claims, this circus poster is no exception as the Sells Brothers actual trip to Australia "proved ruinous" (circus p. 8).