Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey published an annual circus magazine for much of the 20th century, sold at performances as a souvenir program. Roland Butler, the circus's longtime art director, oversaw much of its visual output and brought a genuine poster sensibility to the work: bold color, dramatic scale, and a flair for spectacle that matched the show itself. The period originals from this tradition are a direct record of American circus promotion at its peak.