This wagon is a classic example of people calling it by various names. There are no loading lists to be found of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus from 1923, the last inventory found, until 1937, when the Ringlings leased the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus to the H & A Circus Operating Company. The complete inventory that was taken on April 24, 1937, simply listed this wagon as # 71 – trunks. The inventory that Gordon Potter took at the Opening stand in Marion, IN. on April 27, 1937, listed this wagon as No. 71 – Picture Panel Truck wagon. ( Bo Peep )
The Arthur Bros. loading list from 1945, that is found in the March / April 1959 issue on page 10, calls this wagon # 71 – Mother Goose Tab – Trunks. Bill Elbrin’s coverage of the Arthur Bros. Circus in the Bandwagon, Nov. / Dec. 1962 on page 6 referred to this wagon as a baggage wagon # 71 – Trunk wagon. This had been in the famed 1934 HW parade with Little Bo peep on one side and Mother goose on the other side. It still carried these paintings. This wagon has generally been referred to as a Picture Frame tableau. The earliest photo I have comes from the 1933 season. While the wagon No. 71 remained the same, you can see the skyboard is small and rather plain. The front corner of the drop frame will also show a beveled corner in all the pictures.
( 1933 – Oct. 16, 1933 in San Antonio, TX. – Scaperlanda Bros. photo )
For the 1934 season, it was decided the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus would resurrect the daily street parade with the best wagons they owned. The Ringling Circus had wagons here from their parade days including the massive Bell Wagon. This wagon underwent a couple of changes. The wagon was re-painted what we believe is a red body. The most distinguishing characteristic of this wagon was the spread wing carving in the skyboard. The heavy load of this wagon was noted by the unusual 18 spoke wheels.
( 1934 – William Koford photo )
The earliest time of this wagon’s existence is not completely know. We do know it was not in the complete 1922 inventory and it was not in the 1923 parade order or loading list. There is no mention of this wagon or many others in Chang Reynold’s coverage of the 1924 Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in the Sept./Oct. issue of the Bandwagon in 1966. Very few photos exist of this wagon before 1934. Numbered 71 and painted what we believe to be a red body, the paintings were done by famed clown, Emmett Kelly, in the Peru winter quarters along with another tableau built almost alike with the Mickey Mouse village painting. William “Cap” Curtis was leading the way in the wagon shops and the basic design of many of his wagons was large and stout. This particular wagon had the drop frame floor to access more storage space inside the wagon. This wagon went out on the newly re-titled Hagenbeck-Wallace and Forepaugh Sells Bros. Circus in 1935 also. Please note the vent in the front of the wagon.
In 1936, no show left Peru, so this wagon remained in the Peru winter quarters. In 1937 and 1938, the Ringling interests, leased the Hagenbeck-Wallace title and equipment. Now re-painted as a white body, this wagon went out on both tours. Unfortunately, 1938 was the worst year for circuses in this country and this show closed in California and was sent to the Al G. Barnes winter quarters in Baldwin Park. With a dispersal of equipment and holdings, Louis Goebel, who owned Jungleland, ended up with much of the circus equipment as he rented items to the movie studios as props.
( 1945 – Little Bo Peep is seen on the Mother Goose Tab on Arthur Bros. Circus, Aug. 11, 1945 in Sandusky, Ohio )
Louis Goebel leased a lot of the circus equipment to Martin E. Arthur for his 1945 version of Arthur Bros. Circus on rails. This wagon was on that show in 1945. It then returned to the Goebel holdings . In the spring of 1946, a fire destroyed this wagon and fourteen other former Hagenbeck-Wallace wagons along the railroad tracks near the Goebel property.
( 1945 – Joseph Bradbury Album # 15, photo # 33D – Arthur Bros. Circus, in Bloomington, IL. )
If you have any questions or have more photographic evidence, feel free to contact us at circuswagons@gmail.com