In 1949,
LIFE magazine sent famed photographer Nina Leen to document the daily life of a sassy troupe of young women who had run off and joined the famous Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, Fla. What developed was a portrait of a sisterhood formed over acrobatics that mixed high-flying wire acts with fashionable high-waisted shorts.
Sarasota was once considered “the home of the American circus.” Leen’s stunning photos reflect an apparently carefree lifestyle of independent single women flourishing during a time in American history when most women were expected to marry instead of having careers. Leen went behind the scenes just seven years before the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows announced it would no longer be performing inside tents.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1b3iAGE0MaMzdAZfRuq0TNRniG1uFC625rrd7wDfm9n-LmJEjoiZJ41iDmGPXStJU1WbY7NSlRVnzWcPOvFYYDShbhKGfzzo5ODxxXkvxt3DIHjr8_sS01nd0Fe7aGAPimyrkaDkx8gE6/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-1.jpg) |
A group of circus girls taking a ride in a circus vehicle during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRDo_dw9rEYYxO24mpo5pH-Z7jGIOeqK9iqGBZoJLhCxHDdBPxmLZDMF-llz-e6Z3bfMrcJAULYURdqqFFaWo0AVQlyDCOkm7ADfPiPOt41WEff3d2_ZBoOPBxdygKoGi4Ptk5sKiyDz3/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-2.jpg) |
LIFE visits the circus in Florida- Acrobats and stage performers in various stages of action in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5t3d8KKBzzmsCkx_JlRerRZX58JSHkhEpKHcCaN1kaW0BT7ztjLirPLafRNH7aGUl410e7QqBtXRTMZMtmKAPDZ6eVLIcCpoD07T2BQNdh4u_yknGdSDxgdsLW0qWLfq4Ec6Pdg-15EO/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-3.jpg) |
An acrobat practicing on a tent rope while an unidentified woman is standing nearby during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB7Zshod0q1-wRYtNrK8xpf8PMav-oQZhEhphlDti2Ey2qmzuo_2Bib4ZhgdUIQ8V6yLb9avtGuuYsueWIgYGyQyCP_rX9VOaG8KMB_TxmlJGU-00hpD5_ix8LUU0T6H4wsuU__c8nH7a/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-4.jpg) |
An acrobat holding an umbrella and rehearsing on a rope for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCskj6Oz7bwSMz5nndwcGZxBhaJU6p6_zBh3ZGwtunpBcXpUmpI2opdZ45T2A4P2zt4u884M-Y5aDhcyIDeK_P7L8SZrDMbUaJv_VD6f7DVUubsh53LYabaniQL3ggceFBrwvc4EzIf6N/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-5.jpg) |
An acrobat rehearsing for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus while an unidentified man holding a rope in Sarasota in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65tmSq3_5GkTGR5K6mdYocluIQzBuhVtkXdugyFcRjoh1jYoOzj0r6Qh1C2H5ftRUnAwXSs828wRTkk7RH_mbTpZaFAID3alLigJp5G1pvTFvqJE02ZAlDq-iSm1Hk9sKtzvAXRFtmfNy/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-6.jpg) |
A circus girl sitting on a ladder during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFCfZXJnK8crH2qNxWBErgaAeEwHG20zjWBvVrohiCh9afBuqoeBGU_OzbwyC_qo3ImdBythnU9mtRBLPA1V2FFMJtwJJ_9wxcr2_H5p-mlwwgduj9SA-Zr7xTrILT3Z5cf9w9XVy8o9g/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-7.jpg) |
A circus girl sitting on the ground and applying cream on a wound during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPMKEZjfDUtftL9eka7_wLF5iYq0NhqoQ1rGm0My1gELe_u2_XUfbrsIjisPjf9ENaLsa-3c_SSfqOkdlVNyx5l9PPY2pJYYa-uvRj2CXh-miMuCWCzA9n7uzCjSQRiHCRjgdZ7K_xpIt/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-8.jpg) |
A circus girl standing near a pole while an unidentified man is holding a rope during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CwVXFhVcLl-QTbicBFnYzu-ljyBUp9Wmta0svS_A17fLEQJt8-8IUNKAdWyY8jjV4rNPbrlUef2-K0O5ZrULG7eBdqoc0kjRN9Tka8_DWFmvauSDu-d73GPt1QnPIuMaC4zKk6Y4J7yR/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-9.jpg) |
An aerialist rehearsing with a rope for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8piGicmilL99GhbrKX-9IPgxVnu_lg3j5J1TyizEF_cIrjMq8Y7Nc5E6syect1ArzOB8PTENjCeg9nVXaQD1QrQYvZas-jozcmV0kaqxMowgcVg_s7ObYpJyAu-jfc3i5WdHUmRKbzsqY/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-10.jpg) |
A picture of a circus girl sitting and holding a dog during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuKJ240tlpvdgsD8NahC7lWBM4jalVlEdhyphenhyphenFa8XLxcs4lq4If5cw16kcPYydCFiyWn87wOa0nZM0FP2NT6DCWg-9i7xBoTQBusBlOt5sN6jv3hYvb9kbR5Q54xOC2G1fj593ZIH5riKis/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-11.jpg) |
An aerialist rehearsing for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus while a circus girl is holding a rope in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVDhmCU1tf3w3jzIp-sJbfiP1o4_cDRNBMiMhhSq_F6sFX_yXB-CuvRV_CYM2Wdk_I_DrnTkjwGRriNrUPd_2fuFWpuGQc5TXE0aH9cGAr163cUip5macBboT4fISiTapyP9K_K2MULY9/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-12.jpg) |
Life Visits the Circus in Florida- Acrobats / Performers in various stages of action in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBe5WJQq-F8zQI4ws_qT6hZKKXWomM1YXMuaXDEzYMdWR92yQUD_wfS-qjo1e7XMkQVl0f-rwkoF5c-NoGl23qG-L4lALnF0WTDs-_NH8RNGYZr_2fPL-CJTwcEE2e4bU-rKDLtFlbwFR/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-13.jpg) |
An acrobat practicing with a tent rope while two girls are sitting nearby during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXklm9rP8k_h3nA-5T-Tb547E9SJASC3ztRxuuAuJyKPYyFuKcWVcfyJU4s_0d-a9Ifzm_Hew734WbQFVJk4o9SiPFUSQu3Xb3oIqTNRLh71sZ9mRNr68GcphklbujripAwXaNLJz7Xo9/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-14.jpg) |
An aerialist smoking while rehearsing for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVbhP__ToPlgwz72zA7ot3mZG-evMY4AuiciGDSag0mexIGRdcipoWp-VDzhJRZqOZKCsibshvcuSwhcaRMNIVdqNq4sbqM5Am1GYrOW93TsRjwQGrDoo_YsLUdjnVLvUEiltZPsrEgfh/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-15.jpg) |
Three circus girls relaxing near a pole during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmF0Lm0QRIWMDx7x5Mj6RKjIijWl0BgLOxOMPg_qZs3l5l2qCS2GAhZ5tz6tyBibQIhmsI_dPrunSVVoQxE8M0RpXFYSdMsXf1y404x6JZd8dJ2sD65wDq7_GdtAlcOP886Ekc525IB8E/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-16.jpg) |
Three circus girls sitting on a wooden plank and watching a group of aerialists rehearsing with ropes for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72GJ-9cmuJln64s15K4KHcpWXGQtDkUfX_v2gywr_iXXXb008qVJUdEKxbG0QF4fDZ3kGtYm8N18FByHauAFyzZ_VDqX4XyZF7DvIERfVE8C99d6p3SFck9uc3QdLpmED75FdkXS3K_ai/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-17.jpg) |
A picture of a group of circus girls sitting at a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiihBPbQVk0zBKTIinR8xXuG34JKfZE23RGebHLRybMVaG1w4t4eZ1QZf5ddZIOAYhjLkvzRaFZku0n2kKRGKWLvo57DNwjlgrL6R4WNBqA1DxBRNtbcDIlQUcfnehz8-NA-KCLVjnef2/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-18.jpg) |
A picture of a circus girl sitting on the head of an elephant during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKEonXSmKQBZ824b5r-OhAB3uSz-f2KwVei2qdAohQP1QwePAwpubpq57KeZVyrUyI4lVMjRgeg-wJXjK2QS6ONKLW1mdqpmlQWSN-DGL3ecDyLJ_vnmO5X3asXUufPxB5rI61hHS48iP/s640-rw/circus-girls-of-sarasota-19.jpg) |
A circus girl standing at a door of a circus vehicle during a rehearsal for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. |
((Photos by Nina Leen/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images, via
Washington Post)
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