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Call Number
CWM Mss 6

Title
Songster Collection, 1851-1923   .8 cubic feet (2 boxes, one flat box)

History
Songsters were a form of publication sold by performers, most notably but not exclusively clowns, during a circus performance. Appearing as early as the 1840s, the early songsters often took the form of handbills or small broadsides. In the early and mid 19th century, when circuses still consisted primarily of one ring, clowns sang, told jokes, and sometimes acted as ringmaster. By the 1850s some clowns began producing pamphlet sized booklets containing words to jokes and lyrics to sentimental and humorous songs. Many of the songs were composed by the clowns themselves.

Songsters became common items on circus shows during the 1870s and 1890s and generally featured the name of the clown, the circus title, or both on the cover. Some songsters also included woodcut prints. By the 1880s the songsters often had color covers. Large format songsters date to the early 20th century and were started when music publishers became involved in the producing of the booklets. Although the singing clown disappeared from the circus scene by the end of the 19th century songsters continued to be sold as a concession item well into the 1920s.

Scope and Content
The Songster collection is an artificial collection compiled from multiple accessions. The collection contains 69 songsters and is arranged alphabetically by circus title then by song title and finally by date. Specific titles of songsters are listed in italic font. The title of the circus is listed when known. Several songsters are of unknown circus origin. Of particular note are two pre-Civil War minstrel show songsters.

Container List
Box        Folder
                                        Adam Forepaugh Circus
Box 1      Folder 1                        Forepaugh’s Songster, 1881   
Box 1      Folder 2                        Forepaugh’s Songster, 1881
Box 1      Folder 3                        Forepaugh’s Great Shows Songster, 1888
Box 1      Folder 4                        Funny Clown Songster, 1894   
Box 1      Folder 5            Bard Bros. Circus, The Season’s Successful Songs, 1905
                                        Barnum and Bailey Circus
Box 1      Folder 6                        Barnum and Bailey’s Great Clown Songster, 1891
Box 1      Folder 7                        Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth Songster, 1894
Box 1      Folder 8                        Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth Songster, 1896
                                        Barnum and Great London Shows
Box 1      Folder 9                        Bonnie Runnells’ Great Barnum and London Circus Songster, 1881
Box 1      Folder 10                      W.E. Burke’s Barnum and Great London Circus Songster, 1882
Box 1      Folder 11                      Barnum and London Songster, 1885
Box 1      Folder 12                      Barnum’s Circus Clown and Concert Songster, 1886
                                        P.T. Barnum’s Circus
Box 1      Folder 13                      The Clown’s Song Book, 1873
Box 1      Folder 14                      George M. Clarke’s Centennial Song Book, 1876
Box 1      Folder 15          Batcheller and Doris’ Great Inter-Ocean Circus, Johnny Patterson’s Great Inter-Ocean                                                               Circus Songster, 1881
Box 3      Folder 1            Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Pawnee Bill’s Great Far East, 1910
Box 1      Folder 16          Hunting’s Circus, Bob Hunting’s Great New York Circus Cirriculum Songster, 1891
Box 1      Folder 17          Christy, Campbell, Pierce Minstrels and Sable Bros, 1851
Box 1      Folder 18          Christy’s Plantation Melodies, 1851
Box 1      Folder 19          Clown’s Comic and Sentimental Song Book, 1859
Box 1      Folder 20          Clown’s Comic and Sentimental Song Book, 1871
Box 1      Folder 21          Cole’s Circus and Trained Animal Exposition, The Modern Songster, 1895         
Box 1      Folder 22          Dan Rice’s Great Show, Dan Rice’s Great American Song Book, 1866
Box 1      Folder 23          Frank A. Robbins Circus, John Foster’s Musical Album with Frank Robbins’ New Shows,                                                    1889    
Box 3      Folder 2            Gentry Bros. and James Patterson Circus, 1923
                                        Gollmar Bros. Circus
Box 3      Folder 3                        Gollmar Bros. Great United Shows, Circus, and Menagerie, 1892
Box 3      Folder 4                        Gollmar Bros. Great United Shows, Circus, and Menagerie, 1892
Box 3      Folder 5                        Gollmar Bros. Great United Shows, Circus, and Menagerie, Undated
Box 3      Folder 6                        Gollmar Bros. Great United Shows, Circus, and Menagerie, 1893
Box 1      Folder 24                      Up to Date Circus Songster, 1900
Box 1      Folder 25          Grant’s Circus, Clown Songster, 1891
Box 1      Folder 26          Great Circus Songster, 1895
Box 1      Folder 27          Great Consolidation Circus, A Collection of Favorite Songs as Sung by Ben Maginley, The                                                     Clown Jester of Great Consolidation, 1867
                                        Great London Circus
Box 1      Folder 28                      Johnny Patterson’s Great London Circus Irish Clown Songster, 1880
Box 1      Folder 29                      Nat Austin’s Great London Circus Comic and Sentimental Songster, 1880
Box 1      Folder 30          Harper Bros. European Circus,Harper Bros. European Circus Songster, 1891
Box 1      Folder 30          Heywood Bros. Combination, Heywood Bros. Variety Songster, 1876
Box 1      Folder 32          Hurlburt and Hunting’s Great Railroad Shows, Hurlburt and Hunting’s Great Circus                                                        Songster, 1887
Box 1      Folder 33          John B. Doris’ Great Inter-Ocean Circus, Johnny Patterson’s Rambler from Clare                                                           Songster, 1883
Box 1      Folder 34          John H. Murray’s Circus, John H, Murray’s New Circus Clown Songster, 1881
Box 1      Folder 35          John M. Burke’s “Dublin Carman’s,” John M. Burke’s “Dublin Carman’s” Songster, 1871
                                        John Robinson’s Circus
Box 1      Folder 36A                    Collection of Favorite Songs as Sung by John Lowlow, The Clown and Jester,                                                                         circa 1874
Box 1      Folder 37                      John Lowlow, Great Talking Clown, with John Robinson’s 10 Big Shows All                                                                            Combined Songster, 1890
Box 1      Folder 38          J.S. Berry’s Flying Trapeze, J.S. Berry’s Flying Trapeze Songster, 1868
Box 1      Folder 39          Lord George Sanger’s Circus, James Holloway, King of all Clowns, Comic Songster, The                                                     Clown par Excellence, undated
Box 1      Folder 40          Madigan & Co’s  National Travelling Circus, Root Hog or Die, undated
Box 3      Folder 7            Miller Bros. 101 Ranch Wild West, 1913-1914
Box 1      Folder 41          Nat Austin’s Clown Song and Joke Book, Undated
Box 1      Folder 42          New York Circus, John Foster’s Great New York Circus Songster, 1883
Box 1      Folder 43          Old Clown’s Comic Songbook, Undated
Box 1      Folder 44          Pete Conklin’s Song and Joke Book Together with a Sketch of his Life and Travels, circa                                                        1876
                                        Ringling Brothers Circus
Box 2      Folder 1                        Ringling Bros. Musical Album, 1888
Box 2      Folder 2                        Ringling Bros. Musical Album, 1890
Box 2      Folder 3                        Stone and Murray’s Circus, 3 Songs Sung by the Great Tom Barry The Great                                                                 Bibernian Clown with Stone and Murray’s Circus, 1870
Box 2      Folder 4            Sun Bros. Circus, Sun Bros. World’s Progressive Shows Songster, 1899          
Box 2      Folder 5            Van Amburgh and Company, The Great Van Amburgh and Company’s Concert and Clown                                                        Songster, 1882
                                        Walter L. Main Circus
Box 2      Folder 6                        Walter L. Main Circus Show’s Songster, 1887
Box 2      Folder 7                        Walter L. Main Circus Show’s Songster, 1889
Box 2      Folder 8            Walter L. Main and Van Amburgh’s Circus, Walter L. Main and Van Amburgh’s Circus                                                              Show’s Songster, 1890
                                        Walter L. Main’s All New Monster Shows
Box 2      Folder 9                        Walter L. Main’s All New Monster Shows Popular Songster, 1891
Box 2      Folder 10                      Walter L. Main’s All New Monster Shows Popular Songster, 1892
Box 2      Folder 11                      Walter L. Main’s All New Monster Shows, 1893
Box 2      Folder 12          Whitney’s Shows, Whitney Family’s New Casket of Songs, 1900
Box 2      Folder 13          W.C. Coup’s Circus, W.C. Coup’s Monster Clown Songster, 1882        
                                        W.W. Cole’s Circus
Box 2      Folder 14                      W.W. Cole’s New York and New Orleans Circus Songster, 1879
Box 2      Folder 15                      W.W. Cole’s Circus Songster, 1884     
Box 2      Folder 16          Yankee Robinson’s Circus, Life of Yankee Robinson, Written by Himself, and the                                                           Wallapuss Songeter, 1868       
Box 2   Folder 17          Yankee Robinson’s Shows, All the Songs Sung in the Show; Latest and Popular Songs,                                                                       1910