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MPL Digital Collections

Great Circus Parade

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Great Circus Parade

Photos, slides and other ephemera relating to The Great Circus Parade. Materials come from multiple different collections held at the Milwaukee Public Library.


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More Information

Circus World Museum, located in Baraboo, Wisconsin, opened to the public in 1959. The Museum wanted to exhibit their collection of historic circus wagons in a parade similar to how a traveling circus would parade through the towns it visited. The old circuses did this in order to let the people see what was in the circus and if they wanted to attend. With the sponsorship of the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co., the first of these parades was held in Milwaukee on the Fourth of July in 1963. The most recent parade was in 2009.

Materials in this digital exhibit were taken from The Great Circus Parade Collection, 1963-2000; Circus World Parade Collection, 1964; the Historic Photo Collection; and the Historic Poster Collection. Some sources contain offensive images and language; discernment is left to the individual.


Order Information

Copies of the images in this collection may be purchased. Orders must be placed online, using your Special Collections account. The images are delivered electronically. The cost is $20 for the first 1-5 images in the same order (each additional image above 5 costs $4 per image) for 300dpi TIFs or 600dpi TIFs, plus tax for Wisconsin residents. If you have any questions, please contact mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.

Important Copyright Information

By providing or allowing reproduction of materials from the collections, the Milwaukee Public Library does NOT grant permission to publish or exhibit. Reproductions are provided for personal research purposes only. They may not be copied or distributed. Written permission to publish must be obtained from copyright or literary rights owner and from the library for any publication or commercial use of copies. The researcher is responsible for compliance with the US Copyright Code (title 12 USC) and privacy rights outlined in Title 45 CFR 46. For information on permission to publish, please contact the Photo Librarian at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.