Life at the Circus With the Ringling Brothers, 1949

The Ringling brothers were seven siblings who transformed their small touring company of performers into one of America’s largest circuses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Born in McGregor, Iowa and raised in Baraboo, Wisconsin, they were the children of Heinrich Friedrich August Ringling (1826–1898) of Hanover, Germany and Marie Salome Juliar (1833–1907) of Ostheim, France. They merged their Ringling Brothers Circus with America’s other leading circus troupes, ultimately creating the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which still tours today under that name.

(Photos by Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)