Whale Show with Madam Sirwell's Flea Circus

Along with penguins, an "octupus [sic]" and "40 Deep Sea Terrors," this newspaper ad from 1935 highlights an interesting combination of shows put together to grab audience's attention-- i.e. pairing the largest animal on display with the smallest. Whale shows typically originated on the fortuitous occasion of when a whale beached itself and an enterprising showman was there to collect it, refrigerate it and display it in a traveling show. Despite the refrigeration, not always 100% reliable, whale shows typically garnered some understandable distaste from those whose noses were sensitive to the smell of rotting whale-flesh. Nonetheless, the public was always eager to pay to see a real whale, and the shows typically made a lot of money. In the Member's area you can view a real photo postcard of Madam Sirwell and learn more about her flea show.