Circus, Sideshow & Oddities

Early Ringling Brothers Circus Wooden Popcorn Crate Lid. Circa 1890s. Three stenciled wooden panels nailed together within a wooden frame with hinged lower edge, hasp at top edge. The upper two panels advertise Greene & Son Pop Corn Confectionery (Chicago), the lower panel stenciled “A.E. Parson/Ringling Bros Circus).” Overall 21 x 21 x 2”. Boards scratched and weathered, but lettering well preserved overall. A wonderful early association item. Albert “Butch” Parson joined the Ringling Bros. Circus in 1887 with his brother, Joe, who performed on horseback and on the high wire. As a contractor, Butch ran the concession stand for many years, and was listed in the circus’s annual directory and route book as the Refreshments Superintendent. Parson paid a monthly fee to the Ringlings but otherwise managed the stand independently, keeping any profits for himself. Around 1907, the Ringlings realized that Butch was reaping handsome profits from concessions, and soon terminated the contract, thereafter running concessions within the company (Apps, “Ringlingville USA,” p. 158).