Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a poster by Tribes Printing Works. It dates from 1913 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
She saved everything from her long career—posters, costumes, even broken pulleys.
This 1913 poster by Tribes Printing Works advertised a variety act. It’s small but packed with bold letters and bright colors. That’s how circus posters grabbed attention back then.
The poster lived in Pansy Chinnery’s archive. She saved everything from her long career—posters, costumes, even broken pulleys. She started flying through circus rings in 1897 with Barnum and Bailey. Later she juggled comic stunts on English stages.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum for more of her collection.
Overview
This 1913 poster, produced by Tribes Printing Works, advertised a variety performance featuring acrobatic acts. It was preserved in the personal archive of Pansy Chinnery, a performer who spent decades on British variety stages. The poster’s compact size and vivid design reflect standard promotional practices of the era, designed to attract attention in crowded urban environments. Its survival within Chinnery’s collection underscores her meticulous documentation of her professional life.
Subject & Meaning
The poster promotes a comic acrobatic troupe, likely one Chinnery performed with during her later career, such as Ritz and Ritz or The Uniques. Though it does not name her directly, its visual language—bold typography and saturated colors—echoes the energetic, exaggerated style of variety theatre advertising. It represents the commercial spectacle of early 20th-century entertainment, where visual impact was essential to draw audiences to weekly shows.
Technique & Style
Printed by Tribes Printing Works, the poster employs lithographic techniques common in commercial printing of the time. Its design relies on high-contrast lettering, flat areas of bright pigment, and minimal detail to ensure legibility from a distance. The composition is dense but orderly, prioritizing immediate recognition over artistic nuance. These stylistic choices were standard for touring acts needing to stand out in busy street environments.
History & Provenance
The poster was retained by Pansy Chinnery as part of a lifelong collection documenting her career, which began in 1897 with Barnum & Bailey’s Circus. She later performed with several English variety troupes, maintaining a rigorous touring schedule. Her archive, including costumes, props, and printed materials, was preserved as a personal record. The poster’s presence in this collection confirms its direct association with her professional activities.
Context
In the early 1900s, variety theatres across Britain hosted weekly rotating acts, demanding constant travel and adaptation. Posters like this were printed locally and distributed to promote short engagements. Performers such as Chinnery, who transitioned from circus aerial feats to comic acrobatics, relied on these materials for visibility. The poster reflects a culture where performers were both artists and entrepreneurs, managing their public image through ephemeral printed media.
Legacy
Chinnery’s archive, now held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, offers rare insight into the material culture of British variety performance. This poster, though modest in scale, contributes to a broader understanding of how touring acts marketed themselves in an era before mass media. Its preservation highlights the significance of personal collections in documenting marginalized histories of performance and labor.
Artist & collection
Artist
This anonymous collective cranked out bold posters for circuses and vaudeville shows in early 1900s New York, stacking type and images like a neon sandwich.
