Albert C. Ringling

Born in 1826 in Dankelshausen in the Kingdom of Hanover, August Ringling, the father of the famous Ringling Bros., immigrated…

The eldest of the seven Ringling brothers, Albert (Al) Ringling (1852-1916) was regarded as the head of the family and…

Once the circus was established, Alfred (Alf) Ringling (1863-1919) was largely responsible for writing advertising copy and directing publicity for…

Otto Ringling (1858-1911) was the long-time treasurer of the Ringling Bros. Circus. His brothers regarded him as the financial genius…

Regarded as the most musical of the seven brothers, Charles Ringling (1864-1926) performed as a soloist with the show early…

During the Ringling brothers’ 1884 season, John Ringling (1866-1936) served as the circus clown. He was just eighteen at the…

Entrance to Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith. The former winter quarters of the Ringling…

The Al Ringling Theater, which was completed in 1915, originally seated 874 and was modeled after the opera house in…

The Ringling family lived in McGregor, Iowa, from 1860 until 1872. At the time, McGregor was a bustling Mississippi River…

In the 1920s, John Ringling joined the land boom in Florida and began developing land on the Sarasota Keys, with…

Studio group portrait of the Ringling Family. Standing, from left to right: Al, Alf, Gus, Charles, and Otto. Seated: John,…

Of all the brothers, Al Ringling had the strongest ties to Barbaroo, Wisconsin, and spent the most time there. In…