This carte de visite by A.R. Gould of Carrollton, Ohio show large posters plastered along a thoroughfare in Carrollton, Ohio, tease the arrival of Stow’s Great Varieties, a unique traveling show that performed in several Midwestern states in the 1860s. Reports collected from newspapers.com list these dates and locations:
July 1864: Grand Haven, Mich.
August 1866: Plymouth, Ind.
August 1867: McArthur, Jackson, and Hillsboro, Ohio.
September 1867: Lancaster and Upper Sandusky, Ohio.
May 1868: Plymouth, Ind.
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| Advertising posters of Stow’s Varieties plastered along a thoroughfare in Carrollton, Ohio in the 1860s |
The use of colorful advertisements appears to be a regular feature of Stow’s Varieties. “Immense and splendid posters on the public square announce the coming of a novel exhibition,” noted Ohio’s Lancaster Gazette on September 5, 1867 of a forthcoming September 14 event.
“Novel exhibition” is one of several references to the show. “Old circuses will not be rehearsed, but a new style of performance, different than anything ever before the public,” noted one newspaper. Another observed, “It is not a circus, but offers an entertainment more varied, unique and attractive than any circus, as a reference to the programmes so liberally scattered in our community will satisfy the most skeptical.”
In essence, the show combined aerobatic and acrobatic troupe performances by gymnasts, including tightrope walking, dancing in costumes, and original music. Seems to be an 1860s Midwestern version of Cirque du Soleil.
Newspapers gave the show very positive reviews. One named the owner as John Stow.
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