Many
early circus toys were made from wood and wood products. The performers
were either turned on a lathe and fitted with cloth suits like the
Schoenhut Humpty Dumpty circus shown below, or cut from flat sheets and
painted or lithographed like the Reed circus also shown below.
Photo by Jim Sneed from the collection of Jim
Sneed
Schoenhut's Humpty Dumpty
Circus
The Schoenhut Company made their Humpty Dumpty
circus primarily from wood, felt, paper,
and various wood and plaster compositions.
Photo by Jim Sneed
Reed's Gigantic Circus This circus was made entirely of
lithographed wood.