06. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Archives

Scope and Contents Records reveal the establishment of many of the first administrative undertakings at the museum, such as the creation of a museum plaza, museum signage, seawall construction, and information on the Asolo Theater and museum library. Correspondence is varied. Of special interest are those exchanged with museum director, A. Everett Austin, 1947-1952 and with Karl Bickel, 1947-1951. Financial records include: gate receipt log books for 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949; cash receipt ledgers dating from 1935 – 1946; a check book with entries form 1946-1947; a 1950 audit report, mortgage releases 1950-1952; and financial statements for 1946, 1947, and 1948. There is a silver collection inventory, bids...

Scope and Contents The Tibbals Collection of Buster Bailey Films capture Bailey’s insider’s view of circus. The general circus community embraced Bailey’s familiar presence on the circus lot, granting him extraordinary access to the lots and venues of a variety of circuses including the Al G. Barnes Circus, Clyde Beatty Cole Circus, Amsterdam Circus, Moscow Circus, Russian Ice Show and Circus Benneweis. Bailey’s footage of these circuses feature several performances and circus set-ups in venues across America, including scenes of winter quarters, trains loading and unloading, the backyard, animal acts, spec productions, tumbling acts, rolla bolla acts, clown gags, trapeze and web numbers, and much more....