Date: Fri 31-Jul-1998

Publication: Ant

Author: DAVIDS

Quick Words:

Circus

Full Text:

Circus Clearing House

w/cuts

WETHERSFIELD, CONN. -- All that was missing was cotton candy and that festive

music blaring from the calliope at Clearing House Auctions' sale of the Harold

Bradford circus memorabilia collection over the weekend of June 27. The

atmosphere was exciting, and large crowds were milling about. There was a

clown, and posters and banners were everywhere. Marlene the Girl with the Iron

Tongue, King of Fire, Jolly Ray the World's Fattest Fat Girl, Kokomo the Mule

Face Boy and the Human Mockingbird were all billed, even a two-headed llama.

And in the center of it all was the ringleader, (aka auctioneer) Tom LeClair,

calling out all of the attractions.

The late Harold Bradford had apparently let his childhood passion, the circus,

get the best of him. And while he did not run away with the circus at an early

age, he let the circus run away with him. Bradford collected circus

memorabilia in all known forms, from side show banners to working models of

miniature circuses. Bradford, who operated "Bradford's Second Hand" on Rt 66

in East Hampton, Conn., apparently followed the circus from town to town as

they came to nearby cities, collecting along the way a great number of

posters. He also collected souvenirs, many of which will be offered at

Clearing House in the near future. And surely among his most prized

possessions was a vintage photo that was reproduced in the preface of the

catalogue depicting a beaming Harold Bradford being dwarfed by Max Palmer the

Circus Giant.

The sale attracted a large crowd, some collectors, like Bradford, reliving

their childhood memories, and some who merely appreciated the advertising

posters as art.

Several hundred posters hung in the Clearing House gallery. Each one was a

colorful and festive work of art, although they fell into numerous different

collecting categories with the most popular being those with a Western theme,

specifically those featuring Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

The top lot of the sale was a large Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus oil

cloth banner depicting a colorful pouncing Bengal tiger. It measured nearly

eight by ten feet. Estimated at $2/3,000, the lot saw active bidding between

two bidders seated in the front of the gallery. Californian Bob McCord, owner

of a Calabasas restaurant called Sagebrush, was in on the action early, along

with a gentleman seated almost directly behind him. The two had been chummy

throughout the two-day sale with each having similar interests, but as this

lot crossed the block they waged a fierce battle. McCord, whose chic outdoor

restaurant is decorated entirely with circus banners that are raised and

lowered daily and serve as the exterior walls, claimed several of the banners

throughout the sale. Yet, he played second fiddle on this lot as he underbid

it at $11,275, including premium.

McCord was able to outbid his competitor on the first of the side-show banners

offered, Marlene, The Girl with the Iron Tongue, which depicted a fair, young

scantily clad woman with an iron chain and ball suspended from her tongue.

Estimated at $2/3,000, McCord outbid the gentleman behind him, paying $3,960

for the lot.

The next of the side-show banners to be offered was Jolly Ray, World's Fattest

Fat Girl, which also exceeded estimates selling at $4,400 with McCord once

again underbidding the lot. However, a couple lots later he was successful as

he bid $2,750 for the King of Fire banner. Other banners sold included the

Premier Sex Att., which depicted a young vixen standing between a doctor and

nurse selling. It sold at $880, as did a Hindu torture banner. A Carie Adams

Aunt Jemina banner in later repaint depicting a heavy black woman in a

throne-like chair went for $2,310, while an original paint Liberty Pony Act

with patriotic theme brought $4,730. Also sold was Kokomo the Mule Face Boy,

selling to McCord at $2,420, and the Human Mockingbird "Alive," which depicted

a bird with human head perched on a branch. It brought $4,510.

Of the hundreds of circus posters that were offered, two lots tied for the top

spot, one an early, historically important poster, the other of Western theme.

The early poster was for a Hartford, Ct., Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey

Circus from 1935. The poster, done on oil cloth, featured the founding fathers

from each of the two famous circuses and claimed them to be "The circus kings

of all times." Two bidders on the telephones were ready as the lot appeared on

the auction block, as were several buyers in the room. The rare poster opened

for bidding at $1,600, the result of numerous absentee bids. But the majority

of the action came from those in the gallery with the piece selling for

$3,850.

Tied for the top lot amongst the circus posters was a desirable Western theme

poster emblazoned with a large likeness of Buffalo Bill. From the Sells-Floto

circus, the single sheet poster had minor folds and tears and carried a

presale estimate of $700/1,000. Active bidding on the lot pushed the price

realized to $3,850. Other Western theme posters included a different Buffalo

Bill from the Sells-Floto in horizontal form with the same image in smaller

size. This lot also exceeded presale estimates selling at $2,860. A Col Tim

McCoy poster from Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus brought $1,540, while

a Tom Mix poster realized $1,375.

One of the most graphic posters in the auction was a two-sheet Sells-Floto

poster depicting a huge image of a white-faced clown against a dark

background. Advertising 40 clowns, the poster did well selling at $2,530.

Numerous circus/carnival/fair figures were sold with a small carousel goat

topping the animals at $9,680. A pig carousel figure brought $4,070, a

rooster, $3,300, a lion, $1,650, and an unusual dog figure possibly from a

fair, $2,970. One of the more humorous pieces was a larger-than-lifesize

mohair pig from a country fair. It sold at $2,090.

Numerous paintings with circus themes were offered with prices ranging from

$55 to the $4,400, which was paid for a side show scene signed Griswold.

Scrapbooks with autographed photos of various circus stars and clowns did

well. One lot featured an oil painted cover depicting a laughing clown and

filled with autographed clown photos. It sold for $2,035.

Some of the more unusual items included a series of framed Currier and Ives

lithos, which included the "Wonderful Albino Family" with images selling at

$495 and $330. A Tom Thumb Currier litho brought $412.50, and a Currier of

"Miss Jane Campbell -- The Great Connecticut Giantess" brought $550.

CDVs also did well with a group of 50, featuring circus performers such as Tom

Thumb, Siamese twins and the Wild Woman, selling for $1,650. Also sold was a

snapshot album with 172 photos of circus "freaks" such as Lionel the Lion Face

Boy and Flip the Frog Boy selling at $1,265.

Prices include the buyer's premium charged. For information, contact Clearing

House Auction Galleries, 207 Church Street, Wethersfield, Conn., or call

860/529-3344.