Ringling Brothers Bring the Show to Sarasota

You cannot visit Sarasota without touring the Ringling Museum of Art and the Ringling Circus Museum.  Many thanks to the Ringling family as they brought art, circus entertainment, culture, and enthusiasm to attract tourists to the Sarasota area. Here is brief history of the Ringling family and their journey to Sarasota.


The Ringling Circus Museum

The four brothers of the Ringling Family, John, Charles, Otto, and Albert, founded the Ringling Bros. Circus in 1884 in Baraboo, Wisconsin.  The Ringling brothers were some of the most famous American entrepreneurs by the 1930's, and bought out their biggest competitor of the time, Barnum and Bailey Circus.  In 1927, John Ringling had made Sarasota the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus show.  Many performers moved to the area because of the job opportunities to perform in a well-known national circus show.  This type of popularity drew throngs of tourists to the area as well, increasing the recognition of this new city on the west coast of Florida.

Photo Credit: Walter

At the Ringling Circus Museum, visitors can view performers' costumes, props, and all types of equipment such as wagons used for utilities and parades, tent poles, massive bail rings, and even a cannon that shot brave performers across the big top.

For more information about the the Ringling Circus Museum please click on this link: Ringling Circus Museum Website, and here is a video providing more detailed information about the circus family history: Ringling Circus History Video.


The Ringling Museum of Art

You also have to tour the Ringling Art Museum, which used to be John and Mable (his wife) Ringling's fashionable winter resort.  John's brother, Charles, purchased acres of land in Sarasota due to the fact that the family was traveling to Sarasota every winter season to perform their circus acts.  Like many wealthy Americans in the 20th century, the Ringlings traveled to Europe to search for new circus performers, but they also found some other valuable hidden treasures.

Photo Credit: Cynara Scheuer, a Sarasota Native

John and Mable purchased artwork by Old Masters such as Rubens, van Dyck, Velázquez, Tintoretto, Veronese, El Greco, Poussin, Gainsborough, and others that are part of the extraordinary art collection that can be viewed at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, and the Ca' d'Zan, the Venetian Gothic style mansion the couple lived in.  John opened the Museum of Art to the public in 1931, just two years after Mable had passed away.  She was very passionate and excited about the design of the Ca' d'Zan and Museum of Art.  John hoped that it would. "promote education and art appreciation, especially among our young people" (The Ringling).

For more information about the Ringling Museum of Art, please click on this link to learn more: Ringling Museum of Art

Source: John Ringling Biography