This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/25/2023
[VAN AMBURGH] Monstrous Vermont Hog. Boston: J.H. & F.F. Farwell Printing Establishment, ca. 1875. Letterpress poster with a large wood-engraved image of the immense taxidermied swine which “will be on exhibition this day! On the agricultural fairgrounds, Harrison Avenue, (Near Van Amburgh & Co’s Menagerie.)” 19 x 12”. Short, closed tears around perimeter, old tape reinforcements to verso. A curious and scarce example of one show capitalizing on the success of another, as this broadside advertises an attraction near, but not part of, Van Amburgh’s famous menagerie. The owner of this giant stuffed pig was, like other second-tier showmen of his era, hoping to sell tickets to those going to or coming from another attraction – in this case, a circus that exhibited (live) animals with a decades-long reputation that consistently drew large crowds.