Guide to the California Circus Photographs, 1945-1955

Rachael Wright, Lisa Koch and Dawn Burley
Department of Special Collections
Davidson Library
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone: 805 893-3062
Fax: 805 893-5749
Email: special@library.ucsb.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/speccoll.html
© 2008
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Guide to the California Circus Photographs, 1945-1955

Collection number: PA Mss 67

Department of Special Collections

Davidson Library

University of California, Santa Barbara
Processed by:
Rachael Wright, Lisa Koch and Dawn Burley
Date Completed:
July 28, 2008
Encoded by:
Lisa Koch
© 2008 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: California circus photographs, 1945-1955
Dates: 1945-1955
Collection number: PA Mss 67
Collection Size: 3 boxes 2 linear feet
Repository: University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Dept. of Special Collections
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Abstract: The collection consists of photographic negatives of California circuses from 1945 to 1955, including the Clyde Beatty, Bell Brothers, Biller Brothers and Yankee Paterson Circuses.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

None.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

Preferred Citation

California circus photographs, 1945-1955. PA Mss 67, Department of Special Collections, University Libraries, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection consists of photographic negatives of California circuses from 1945 to 1955, including the Clyde Beatty, Bell Brothers, Biller Brothers and Yankee Paterson Circuses. The Clyde Beatty circus, among the largest of its time, is also the best represented in this collection. Its owner and namesake was the star act, performing with the wild animals in the ring. Beatty worked with many circuses, frequently headlining and co-managing, and appeared in a number of movies, often as himself.
Many of the images portray circus vehicles and grounds and some show animals backstage. The collection is organized into sections associated with dates and particular circuses, and the accompanying labels are in English.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into sections associated with dates and particular circuses.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Circus -- United States
Clyde Beatty Circus
Photographs


 

1 Photographic Negatives 1945-1955

Physical Description: 2 linear ft.
Box 1:1

Set 405A, Yankee Patterson

Additional Note

Antioch, CA 14 negatives
Box 1:2

Set 416, Biller Brothers

Additional Note

14 negatives
Box 1:3

Set 403, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

Concord, CA
5 negatives
Box 1:4

Set 404, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

Pittsburg, CA
6 negatives
Box 1:5

Set 405, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

Concord, CA
8 negatives
Box 1:6

Set 406, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

CA
12 negatives
Box 2:1

Set 407, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

CA
19 negatives
Box 2:2

Set 408, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

CA
12 negatives
Box 2:3

Set 409, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

CA
15 negatives
Box 2:4

Set 410, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

Bakersfield, CA
11 negatives
Box 2:5

Set 415, Bell Brothers

Additional Note

CA 8 negatives
Box 3:1

Set 411, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

Fairfield, CA
17 negatives
Box 3:2

Set 412, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

Pittsburg, CA
20 negatives
Box 3:3

Set 413, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

Cottage Grove, OR
15 negatives
Box 3:4

Set 414, Clyde Beatty

Additional Note

Cottage Grove, OR
12 negatives