Description
A massive stock poster portraying three lions, 2 male and 1 female. Printed by Show Printers Willsons’ of Leicester as four sheets, the image was intended for over‑printing with a circus name and dates wherever the show next pitched its big top.
Issued in Britain during the 1930s, when travelling menageries were still a premier form of entertainment, such generic “stock” designs allowed smaller troupes to advertise exotic acts without commissioning bespoke artwork. Lithographers produced them in short runs, making surviving examples rare, especially in this oversize format.
The stone‑litho work displays rich stippling in the fur and subtle shading in the background, hallmarks of quality printing before photo‑offset became the norm after the war. Fold‑lines from the original paper as stored are now laid flat on linen.
