George Emery Papers

1875-1977 (Bulk: 1930-1977)
12 boxes, 8 oversize folders (15.5 linear feet)
Call no.: MS 982
rotating decorative images from SCUA collections

After graduating from Massachusetts Agricultural College in 1924, George Edward "Red" Emery taught high school briefly and held a handful of other jobs before deciding to fulfill a childhood dream. Born in Marlboro, Mass., in 1904, Emery turned his love for the circus into a life touring the country as a white-face circus clown. After marrying Virginia Link, a Smith College student, in 1932, he settled down to a stable job in the Alumni Office at his alma mater, later filling in as Veterans Coordinator and as a staff member in the Student Placement Office until his retirement in 1972. Emery never left the circus behind entirely. Throughout his years in Amherst he continued to talk and write about the history of the circus and his personal experiences, and from the late 1940s through early 1960s, he used his show business connections to book talent for the Three County Fair. Longtime residents of Leverett, Mass., he and his wife died within a year of one another, Virginia in 1974 and George in 1975.



With his passion for the circus, George Emery's papers contain material not only from his career as a circus clown in the 1920s but also from his later writings about the history of the circus, his work with the Three County Fair, and his long association with UMass Amherst. The collection includes correspondence with friends and family; circus toys and games; posters, photographs, and ephemera; and a library of books on circus history. Of special note are some exceptional photographs and a thick sheaf of material from the Three County Fair.

Background on George Emery


An image of: Three County Fair, ca. 1920

Three County Fair, ca. 1920

"No job brings quite the same satisfaction as the one of making people laugh or smile." --George Emery, Springfield Sunday Union and Republican, May 29, 1938.

George Edward "Red" Emery, born in Marlboro, Massachusetts, in 1904, was an ardent lover and devoted supporter of the circus, fascinated even at the age of three, in Emery's words, " by the monkeyshines of the clowns." After graduating from Massachusetts Agricultural College in 1924 and working a few various jobs, including a brief tenure as a high school teacher, Emery decided to chase his childhood dream and, in the most literal sense of the phrase, ran off to join the circus. He started as a "property boy" for the Sells-Floto Circus in 1923, "but the lure of the spotlight soon drew him to a performing role as a clown." Performing as a white-face clown as a part of many circuses, including the famous Walter L. Main Circus, Emery toured the country and made deep friendships and connections with his fellow performers which he would maintain throughout his life. This period would chisel into stone his passion for the circus, though he was not to remain a lifelong performer.

George Emery's love of the circus brought him into the touring clown lifestyle, but his love of Virginia Link, a Smith College student, would take him out of it, at least as a full-time performer. Emery and Link married in 1932 and George quickly settled back in the Pioneer Valley, taking a job in the Alumni Office at his alma mater, now known as Massachusetts State College. Emery would work within the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the rest of his career, becoming Veterans Coordinator and a staff member at the Student Placement Office until his retirement in 1972.

Although Emery's professional life in the circus officially ended in 1932, he remained a dedicated follower and member of the circus community for his whole life. Emery used his connections built up during his time as a performer in order to assist the Three County Fair in Northampton, Massachusetts. He served on the board of directors beginning in 1938 and worked as a talent agent for the fair, finding acts from various talent agencies and recommendations from other circus associates. Emery also wrote the program for the 150th anniversary of the fair in 1967, which contained a detailed history of the fair and endorsements of the fair's role for the local area as well as American culture from the Secretary of Agriculture at the time, Orville Freeman, as well as the Governor of Massachusetts, John Volpe. Governor Volpe wrote of the fair, "The country fair is part and parcel of the Massachusetts heritage and way of life. It is one of our strong ties with a past that is colorful and worthy of great pride." Alongside his work with the Three County Fair, Emery was a member of the Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Agricultural Society, the Massachusetts Agricultural Fairs Association, as well as the International Association of Fairs and Expositions. Eventually, his work and contributions to the circus community were recognized with an Award of Achievement from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions.

Emery's love for everything circus-related extended beyond the fairgrounds and into his personal life, as well. Over the years, he became a dedicated collector and preserver of circus history. Emery collected all types of materials related to this American institution, including posters, programs, toys, news clippings, vinyl records, artwork, and over 80 works of literature about the circus and the performers within it. Notably, Emery kept extensive notes of the fairs he attended over his lifetime, as well as detailed notes of their programs or the performance details of individual acts. He also desired to spread his love of the circus to others, giving lectures and writing numerous newspaper articles about various aspects of the fair. Many of these articles were preserved in homemade scrapbooks, including one featured in Yankee magazine in June of 1936 about the seven jokes clowns have used throughout history, writing, "The clown you watch may use new wardrobe, a new technique in pantomime, new props. But his joke will be the joke that wasn't new a century ago."

After his retirement, Emery maintained contact with many of his old friends and circus associates and attended circuses all over the region. George and Virginia, having lived in Leverett, Massachusetts for the majority of their lives, died within a year of each other; Virginia passed in 1974 and George in 1975.

Scope of collection

The papers of George Emery contain materials for any researcher interested in the circus and the performing arts. Correspondence to and by Emery from friends, family, as well as business acquaintances is featured. Circus advertisements, posters, vinyl records, toys, photographs, talent catalogs, newsletters, magazines, a wealth of books on circus history, and ephemera also feature heavily in this collection. Materials to be especially noted are an excellent collection of photographs of circuses, including famous circuses such as the Hagenbeck Wallace Circus, Kay Bros. Circus, the world-famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Combined Circus, as well as smaller, more local fairs, such as a large collection of photographs of the 1962 Littleville Fair in Chester, Massachusetts.

Also of note is an extensive sheaf of material on the Three County Fair (Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties, Massachusetts), including promotional materials, photographs from the 1950 edition of the fair, and logistical documents, along with materials from Emery's long association with the University of Massachusetts Amherst, including the Master Plan architectural proposal for the expansion of the university in 1957.

Series descriptions

Correspondence from all periods of Emery's life, including letters both personal and professional in nature. Letters are included from family, friends, and professional contacts, and there is extensive correspondence with talent agencies. Of note are letters in 1967 from the Secretary of Agriculture, Orville Freeman, and the Governor of Massachusetts, John Volpe, about the 150th anniversary of the Three County Fair. Also included is correspondence from Virginia Link, Clyde O'Neal, Herbert Connelly, and G. Bartlett Willard.

Materials from Emery's professional life, both with the circus and with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Included are numerous advertisements and posters for various circuses and individual acts, including extensive materials on the Three County Fair. Also of note are talent catalogs, notes and materials from George Emery about the circus, newsletters and booklets from fair associations from the local to the international scale, vinyl records of circus music, and homemade scrapbooks by Emery of articles written by him about the circus.

Materials from Emery's personal life; of special note is Emery's collection of circus toys, some of which date back to 1904, and a home magic kit from 1917. Other materials included are a large collection of greeting cards, a botany notebook from a class Virginia Link took at Smith College, an extensive collection of newspaper clippings related to the circus, and materials and ephemera from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Photographs and artwork collected by Emery, mostly related to the circus. Of special note are the photograph collections of the 1950-1951 Three County Fair and the 1962 Littleville Fair as well as a pastel portrait of George Emery in full clown make-up by his wife, Virginia Link.

Inventory

Series 1. Correspondence
1904-1975
Correspondence: Connelly, Herbert Letter to Parker, Sumner R.
1930 May
Box 1: 14
Correspondence
1912-1913
Box 1: 16
Correspondence
1923
Box 1: 17
Correspondence
1927
Box 1: 18
Correspondence
1928
Box 1: 19
Correspondence
1929
Box 1: 20
Correspondence
1930
Box 1: 21
Correspondence
1931
Box 1: 22
Correspondence
1932
Box 1: 23
Correspondence
1933
Box 1: 24
Correspondence
1934
Box 1: 25
Correspondence
1935
Box 1: 26
Correspondence
1936
Box 1: 27
Correspondence
1937
Box 1: 28
Correspondence
1938
Box 1: 29
Correspondence
1939
Box 1: 30
Correspondence
1940 Jan-1940 May
Box 1: 31
Correspondence
1940 Jun-1940 Dec
Box 1: 32
Correspondence
1941
Box 1: 33
Correspondence
1942
Box 1: 34
Correspondence
1943
Box 1: 35
Correspondence
1944
Box 1: 36
Correspondence
1945
Box 1: 37
Correspondence
1946
Box 1: 38
Correspondence
1947
Box 1: 39
Correspondence
1948
Box 1: 40
Correspondence
1949
Box 1: 41
Correspondence
1950
Box 1: 42
Correspondence
1951
Box 1: 43
Correspondence
1952
Box 1: 44
Correspondence
1953
Box 1: 45
Correspondence
1954
Box 1: 46
Correspondence
1955
Box 1: 47
Correspondence
1956
Box 1: 48
Correspondence
1957
Box 1: 49
Correspondence
1958
Box 1: 50
Correspondence
1959
Box 1: 51
Correspondence
1960
Box 1: 52
Correspondence
1961
Box 1: 53
Correspondence
1962
Box 1: 54
Correspondence
1963
Box 1: 55
Correspondence
1964
Box 1: 56
Correspondence
1965
Box 1: 57
Correspondence
1966
Box 1: 58
Correspondence
1967
Box 1: 59
Correspondence
1968
Box 1: 60
Correspondence
1969
Box 1: 61
Correspondence
1970
Box 1: 62
Correspondence
1971
Box 1: 63
Correspondence
1972
Box 1: 64
Correspondence
1973
Box 1: 65
Correspondence
1975
Box 1: 66
Correspondence
Undated
Box 1: 67
Envelopes
1904-1973 Jan
Box 2: 13
Letter to Kane, Amanda (Unknown Author - B. O. M.?)
1947 Aug
Box 2: 35
Link, Virginia: Correspondence
1945 May-1947 Aug
Box 2: 36
O' Neal, Clyde: Letter to Ames, Emily B.
1941 Oct
Box 3: 10
Willard, G. Bartlett: Letter to Brown, Harry
1938 May
Box 4: 44
Series 2. Professional
1898-1974
Advertisements: Circus
1912-1951
Map Case 7:1: 1
Advertisements: Circus
1943-1957
Map Case 7:1: 4
Advertisements: Fairs and Circuses (Various)
1940-1966
Box 1: 3
Advertisements: The Flying Behrs (Spanish)
undated
Map Case 8:1: 3
Advertisements: Frank Melville Talent Agency
1940-1952
Box 1: 4
Advertisements: Individual Acts
1937-1951
Map Case 7:1: 4

Letters to Emery, George from Campbell, Louis on back of The Four Peerless Campbells advertisements, 1939 May

Advertisements: Individual Acts
1939-1971
Box 1: 5
Advertisements: Three County Fair
undated
Box 1: 7
B. Ward Beam Company Feature Attractions Book
1917
Box 9
Business Cards: Various
1940-?
Box 1: 10
Camp Najerog
1946 Aug.-1967 Aug.
Box 1: 11
Circus Book Jackets
1966 Apr.
Map Case 7:1: 1
Circus Heralds
1927-1954
Box 1: 12
Circus Poster (Damaged)
undated
Box 10
Circus Posters
1898-1947
Map Case 7:1: 4

Includes posters from Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circuses

Circus rejection letters for clowning gigs
1929
Box 12: 1
Circus Route Cards (Various)
1936-1974
Box 1: 13
Cooke and Rose Theatrical Enterprises Outstanding Attractions Catalog
1950?-1952
Box 10
Contracts
1939-1967
Box 1: 15
Earl Taylor Enterprises, Inc. Talent Catalog
1929
Box 9
Eastern States Exposition Newsletters
undated
Box 1: 68
Eddy Bros. Three Ring Circus [promotional pamphlet]
ca.1920
Box 12: 2
"Educational Exhibits: How to Prepare and Use Them" by U.S. Department of Agriculture
1951
Box 1: 69
Emery, George: Award of Achievement from International Association of Fairs and Expositions
undated
Map Case 7:1: 4
Emery, George: Interview About Various Circus Performers
1967
Box 2: 1
Emery, George: List of Circuses Attended
1907-1974
Box 2: 2
Emery, George: Notes, Programs for Other Circuses and Performance Details of Specific Acts
1922-1945
Box 2: 6
Emery, George: Notes, Programs of Other Circuses and Performance Details of Specific Acts
1946-1974
Box 2: 7
Emery, George: Notes, Three County Fair
1939-1967
Box 2: 8
Emery, George: "Personalities of the Circus" Lecture
undated
Box 2: 9
Emery, George: "Pitch Till You Win" Sign
undated
Box 8
Emery, George: University of Massachusetts Amherst Business Cards
undated
Box 2: 11
Emery, George: University of Massachusetts Amherst Identification Card
1971?
Box 2: 12
Fairs and Expositions Magazines
1950 May-1958 Jul
Box 2: 14
Fair and Circus Invitations and Passes
1940-1973
Box 2: 15
Financial: Receipts and Notes (Circus)
1939-1967
Box 2: 16
Financial: Time Slips
1954
Box 2: 18
Frank Melville Talent Agency Catalog
1949
Box 9
Frank Wirth Booking Association, Inc. Catalogs
1939-1942
Box 9
Griffin, Chas. E.: Traveling with a circus. N.UU. : Chas. E. Griffith
1893
Box 12: 7
Gentry Brothers Circus: Artists' contracts
1928-1929
Box 12: 5
Hamid Attractions Catalogs
1939-1949
Box 9
Hamid Attractions Catalogs
1950-1955
Box 10
Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Agricultural Society Constitution
1942 Dec
Box 2: 25
H.J. Griffin Professional Boots, Shoes, and Pumps
undated
Box 2: 27
Hurlburt and Hunting's Clown Songster
ca.1894
Box 12: 8
International Association of Fairs and Expositions News Bulletin
1957 Dec
Box 2: 28
International Theatrical Association Available Artists
1950
Box 2: 29
Mailing List Town Tallies
1956-1967
Box 2: 37
Massachusetts Agricultural Fairs Association Meeting Brochures and Reports
1941 Jan-1953 Jan
Box 2: 38
Massachusetts Department of Agriculture: "Brief History of Fairs" by Martin Hunt
1960
Box 2: 39
Massachusetts Department of Agriculture: Massachusetts Fair Dates
1941
Box 2: 40
Massachusetts Department of Agriculture: Monthly Fairs Letters
1950 Jan-1952 Jul
Box 2: 41
Miss Northampton Itinerary
1959 Sep
Box 2: 45
National Gymnastics Clinic Brochure
1955 Dec
Box 2: 50
Nissen Corporation Catalogs and Advertisements
1955-1962
Box 3: 8
"Oklahoma!:" Firearms Permit
1954 Sep
Box 3: 11
"Oklahoma!:" Prop List
1954
Box 3: 12
"Oklahoma!:" Publicity and Billing
1954
Box 3: 13
Old Time Circus Posters by Circus World Museum
1960
Map Case 7:1: 1
Pari-Mutuel Racing Mock Ballot Advertisement
1946
Box 3: 14
Programs: Eastern States Exposition
1949-1956
Box 4: 9
Program: Graff, Grace and Kurt at Massachusetts State College
1947 Apr
Box 4: 11
Programs: "Oklahoma!"
1954
Box 4: 12
Programs: Three County Fair
1940-1949
Box 4: 13
Programs: Three County Fair
1950-1952
Box 4: 14
Programs: Three County Fair
1953-1955
Box 4: 15
Programs: Three County Fair
1956-1960
Box 4: 16
Programs: Three County Fair
1961-1966
Box 4: 17
Programs: Three County Fair
1967
Box 4: 18
Programs: Various Fairs
1929-1966
Box 4: 19
Publicity Billings
1950
Box 4: 20
Robinson Attractions Catalogs
1917-1919
Box 9
Scrapbook: Circus Broadcast
1937 Jun
Box 4: 21
Scrapbook: Circus History Made by Arthur Berry
1938 Jun
Box 4: 22
Scrapbook: Circus Myth
1938 May
Box 4: 23
Scrapbook: Forgotten Dog
1938 May
Box 4: 24
Scrapbook: Seven Jokes
1936 Jun
Box 4: 25
Scrapbook: Walter L. Main Circus Review
1937 Aug-1957 Aug
Box 4: 26
"Trampolining" by Loken, Newton C.
1955
Box 4: 31
Three County Fair: Host Scripts and Drafts
1942-1967?
Box 4: 33
Three County Fair: News Herald
1940s?
Map Case 7:1: 3
Three County Fair: Poster
1940 Sep
Map Case 7:1: 4
Three County Fair: Premium List and Products for Sale
undated
Box 4: 34
Three County Fair: Run-down of Acts
1944-1954
Box 4: 35
Vinyl: "A Day at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus" by Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Band
1947
LP record
Box 11
Vinyl: "Circus Echoes / Entry of the Gladiators" by Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Band
1930 May
LP record
Box 11
Vinyl: "Circus Time" by Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus Band
1953
LP record
Box 4: 43
Vinyl: "Circus Time with the Dukes of Dixieland" by the Dukes of Dixieland
1957
LP record
Box 11
Vinyl: "Columbia Presents: Circus" by Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Band
1941
LP record
Box 11
Vinyl: "Old Glory Triumphal March / Gentry's Triumphal March" by Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Band
1930 May
LP record
Box 11
Vinyl: "Pageantry - March / Colossus of Columbia - March" by Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus Band
1930 May
LP record
Box 11
Vinyl: "Songs of Massachusetts State College" by the Massachusetts State College Glee Clubs
1935
LP record
Box 11
Wirth and Hamid Fair Booking, Inc. Catalogs
1928-1932
Box 9
Series 3. Personal
1875-1974
A. Schoenhut Company: Circus Toys
1904-1905
Box 6
A. Schoenhut Company: Circus Toys
1904-1905
Box 7
A. Schoenhut Company: "Forty Years of Toy-Making"
1912
Box 1: 1
A. Schoenhut Company: Toy Catalogs and Price Lists
1904
Box 1: 2
Advertisements: Miscellaneous
1940-1959
Box 1: 6
Associated American Artists Patron's Supplements
1944-1946 Jan
Box 1: 8
The Billboard Magazines
1939 Dec-1945 Mar
Box 10
Bob Hermine's Magazine of Midgets
1956
Box 1: 9
Circus Puzzle
undated
Box 7
Circus Puzzles
undated
Box 5
Circus Toys and Ephemera
undated
Box 7
Emery, George: Baby book (with photos), evidently kept by father Clifton Emery
1904-1907
Box 12: 3
Emery, George: Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety Identification Card
1940-1945?
Box 2: 3
Emery, George: Notes, History
undated
Box 2: 4
Emery, George: Notes, Miscellaneous
1939-1959
Box 2: 5
Emery, George: Personalities of the circus [promotional material for lectures]
ca.1945
Box 12: 4
Emery, George: Selective Service Classification Notice
1943-1945
Box 2: 10
Financial: Receipts and Notes (Personal)
1947 Feb-1974 Jun
Box 2: 17
Gilbert, A. C.: Erector engineer award
1917
Box 12: 6
Gilbert's Mysto Magic Exhibition Set
1917
Box 5
Greeting Cards
1928-1960
Box 2: 19
Greeting Cards
1962-1969
Box 2: 20
Greeting Cards
1970-1973
Box 2: 21
Greeting Cards
undated
Box 2: 22
Greeting Cards: Circus
1959-1969 Feb.
Box 2: 23
Gymnastics Summer Camp Brochure
1957
Box 2: 24
Harper's Young People Magazine
1890 Jan
Box 2: 26
"The Last Cruise of the 'Cheng-Ho'" (Parts I and II) by Degener, Otto
1943 Sep-Oct
Box 2: 34
Link, Virginia: Smith College Botany Notebook
undated
Box 5
Little olde folks concerte, at ye Marlboro Unitarian meeting house
1885
Box 12: 9
Magic pamphlets
1929
Box 12: 10
Secrets of ancient and modern magic, or the art of conjuring unveiled. Palmyra, Pa. : Ideal Novelty Co.
ca.1900
Wehman Bros.: Card tricks. NY : Wehman Bros.
1907
Wehman Bros.: Magic made easy. NY : Wehman Bros.
ca.1907
Magic: printed ephemera [advertisement for magic equipment]
ca.1900
Box 12: 11
Map of the Railroads of New England
1875?
Map Case 7:1: 4
Massachusetts Wildlife Magazine
1968 Mar-Apr
Box 2: 42
"The Master Magician," by Thomas, Lowell
undated
Box 2: 43
Matchbooks
undated
Box 2: 43
The Mentor Magazine
1927 Jun
Box 2: 46
National Geographic Magazine
1929 Jul
Box 2: 47
National Geographic Magazine
1931 Oct
Box 2: 48
National Geographic Magazine
1948 Mar
Box 2: 49
News Clippings
1910-1919
Box 2: 52
News Clippings
1910-1930
Map Case 7:1: 2
News Clippings
1920-1929
Box 2: 53
News Clippings
1930-1939
Box 2: 54
News Clippings
1930-1939
Box 2: 55
News Clippings
1930-1939
Map Case 8:1: 2
News Clippings
1930-1971
Map Case 7:1: 3
News Clippings
1940-1949
Box 2: 56
News Clippings
1940-1949
Box 2: 57
News Clippings
1940-1969
Map Case 8:1: 3
News Clippings
1950-1959
Box 3: 1
News Clippings
1960-1969
Box 3: 2
News Clippings
1970-1971
Box 3: 3
News Clipping
1971 Jul
Map Case 7:1: 4
News Clippings
undated
Box 3: 4
Newsweek Magazine
1967 Jul
Box 10
Novelty Prints
undated
Box 3: 9
Pin-Up Girls Calendars
1943-1950
Box 3: 23
Pin-Up Girls Calendars
1952-1960
Box 3: 24
Pin-Up Girls Calendars
1961-1969
Box 3: 25
Pin-Up Girls Calendars: Large
1944 Nov-1949 Dec
Box 3: 26
Pin-Up Girls Calendars: Large
1950-1951
Box 3: 27
Pin-Up Girls Calendars: Large
1952-1953 Nov
Box 3: 28
Pin-Up Girls Calendar: Large
1954 Feb-1956
Box 3: 29
Postcards: Circus-Themed
1973
Box 3: 30
Program: Exhibition of Some Contemporary New England Artists at Amherst College
1938 Nov-Dec
Box 4: 10
Rolling Circus Tiger Toy
undated
Box 5
St. Onge, Fred: Art of bicycle riding. New Britain : Corbin Screw Co.
1920
Box 12: 13

Also includes Corbin Screw Company catalog for Duplex Simple Brakes, 1920

Scrapbook: containing newspaper articles written by Emery on circus, local events, etc.
1940-1972
Box 12: 14
Selected Playbills from the "Old Howard" (Howard Athenaeum)
1847 Jan-1940 Apr
Map Case 7:1: 4
Travel Guides
1965-1968
Box 4: 32
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Bulletin, 1960-1970, A Dynamic Decade
1970 Dec
Box 4: 36
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Class of 1924 50th Reunion
1974
Box 4: 37
University of Massachusetts Amherst: College War Information Service Ticket
undated
Box 4: 38
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Crowley, Dennis Honorary Degree Speech
1974 Jun
Box 4: 39
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Crowley, Dennis Resolution of Thanks and Appreciation by Board of Trustees
1974 May
Box 4: 40
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Ephemera
1949
Box 4: 41
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Master Plan
1957 Oct
Box 4: 42
Vinyl: "Danny Kaye Sings Selections From The Samuel Goldwyn Technicolor Production 'Hans Christian Andersen'" by Danny Kaye
1965
Box 11
4-H Clubs Leaflet and News Clipping
1937 Apr-1946 Aug
Box 4: 45
200-Year Calendar
undated
Box 4: 46
Series 4. Photographs, Artwork, Realia
1893-1967
Calder, Alexander Circus Art Catalog
1964
Box 10
Circus Artwork
1967 Jan
Map Case 7:1: 4

News Clippings and Calendar Page

Emery, George: Caricature
1942
Map Case 8:1: 1
Emery, George: Pastel Portrait by Virginia Link
1939
Map Case 8:1: 1
"The Flying Codonas" Painting by Curry, John Steuart
1927
Map Case 8:1: 1
Japanese Woodblock Print
undated
Map Case 7:1: 4
Lantern Slide Plate: Montgomery, C.A. (Secretary of Three County Fair)
undated
Box 2: 30
Lantern Slide Plate: Morse, A.J. (Treasurer of Three County Fair)
undated
Box 2: 31
Lantern Slide Plates: Mr. Hodgkins and Co. Fair
undated
Box 2: 32
Lantern Slide Plates: Three County Fair
1901/7? Oct
Box 2: 33
Negatives: Ward Troupe
1924
Box 2: 51
News Clippings: Circus Cartoons and Artwork
1919 May-1939 Aug
Box 3: 5
News Clippings: Circus Cartoons and Artwork
1940 Feb-1973 Feb
Box 3: 6
News Clippings: Circus Cartoons and Artwork
undated
Box 3: 7
Pastel Portrait of Clown by Farrell, R.
1970 Dec
Map Case 8:1: 1
Photograph: Banquet of the 21st Annual Meeting of the the Massachusetts Agricultural Fairs Association
1941 Jan
Map Case 7:1: 4
Photographs: Clown and goose; naval officer; MAC football player
1885
Box 12: 12
Photograph: Derose, Charles N.
undated
Box 3: 15
Photographs: Emery, George and Link, Virginia
1941
Box 3: 16
Photograph: Fling, Bill and Pat ("The Thunder Birds")
undated
Box 3: 17
Photograph: Gentry Bros. Circus
1928 Aug
Map Case 7:1: 4
Photograph: Hagenbeck Wallace Circus Clowns
1931 Jun
Map Case 7:1: 4

Some clowns labeled on reverse

Photograph: Japanese Horse
undated
Box 3: 18
Photograph: Kay Bros. Circus
1936 Jun
Map Case 7:1: 4

Some performers labeled on reverse

Photograph: LaTena's Circus
1916
Box 3: 19
Photographs: Punkin and Doll
1944 Aug
Box 3: 20
Photograph: Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Combined Circus Clowns
1937 Jun
Map Case 7:1: 4

Some clowns labeled on reverse

Photograph: Sells-Floto Circus Swinging Ladders, Double Trap, Contortionist, and Head Balance Acts
1931
Map Case 7:1: 4

Some performers labeled on reverse

Photograph: Three Hunts Circus Ring
1933 Jun
Map Case 7:1: 4

Some performers labeled on reverse

Photographs: University of Massachusetts Amherst
undated
Box 3: 21
Photograph: Walter L. Main Circus
1927
Map Case 7:1: 4
Photograph: Wilson, James and Jerry ("The Flying Behrs")
undated
Box 3: 22
Pressed Paper Art
undated
Box 3: 31
Print: Amundson, Paul
1938 Dec
Box 3: 32
Prints and Negatives: Barnett Bros. Circus Tournament Riders, "Wild West," Clown Group with Robert Powell
undated
Box 3: 33
Prints and Negatives: Borella Trio
undated
Box 3: 34
Prints: Cassy, Bill and Lawless, Bill
1950-1951?
Box 3: 35
Prints and Negatives: Deacon's Calliopy
1903-1922
Box 3: 36
Prints and Negatives: Dixon and Seal
1940
Box 3: 37
Print: Doran, Steve and Nelligan, Nick with Indian Clubs
1950-1951?
Box 3: 38
Prints and Negatives: Emery, George and Circus Toys
1942
Box 3: 39
Prints and Negatives: Emery, George Grotesque and White-Face Make-ups
1937
Box 3: 40
Prints, Negatives, and Slides: Emery, George Portraits
undated
Box 3: 41
Prints: Flowers by Waugh, Frank for "Doran's Garden" Piece
undated
Box 3: 42
Prints and Negatives: The Flying La Vans
1893
Box 3: 43
Prints: The Flying Meteors
1943
Box 3: 44
Prints and Negatives: Gentry Bros. Circus Midway
undated
Box 3: 45
Prints and Negatives: Hanneford, Poodles and Plamondon, Louie
undated
Box 3: 46
Prints: Hubert Castle Talent Agency
undated
Box 3: 47
Prints and Negatives: Hunt Bros. Circus Back Door
1950-1951?
Box 3: 48
Prints and Negatives: La Pearl Clown Band
undated
Box 3: 49
Prints and Negatives: Lewis and Olivers, Passing Leap
1940
Box 3: 50
Prints: Littleville Fair
1962
Box 3: 51
Prints: Littleville Fair
1962
Box 3: 52
Prints: Lordly and Dame, Inc. Talent Shots
1967 Dec-1968 Nov
Box 3: 53
Prints: Lubera, Paul
1968 Sep-1973 Jan
Box 3: 54
Prints: Music Corporation of America (MCA) Talent Shots
1954
Box 3: 55
Prints: Music Corporation of America (MCA) Talent Shots
1954
Box 3: 56
Prints and Negatives: "Muddy Grotesque"
undated
Box 3: 57
Prints: O'Neal, Clyde and Dog
1935
Box 3: 58
Print: Robertson, Jimmie Water Color of Cole Bros. Circus Posters
undated
Box 3: 59
Print: Ross, Skip and Bell Collection
1944
Box 3: 60
Print: Southwark Fair Engraving
1937
Map Case 7:1: 4

Originally engraved 1733

Print: Thumb, Tom and Warren, Lavinia
undated
Box 3: 61
Prints and Negatives: Tom Mix Clowns, Claramen Bruce
undated
Box 3: 62
Prints and Negatives: Three County Fair
1950-1951?
Box 4: 1
Prints and Negatives: Three County Fair
1950-1951?
Box 4: 2
Prints and Negatives: Three County Fair
1950-1951?
Box 4: 3
Prints and Negatives: Three County Fair
1950-1951?
Box 4: 4
Prints: Unknown Subjects
undated
Box 4: 5
Prints and Negatives: Valdo, Pat Program, Make-ups, and Briggs Cartoon
1932-1935
Box 4: 6
Prints: van Voorden, Loni
undated
Box 4: 7
Prints: Various Circus Acts with Press Releases
1966
Box 4: 8
Realia: fireplace bellows
1966
35 x 15 cm.
Box 12: 15

Small leather and black wood bellows, with inlaid floral design. Note on top in pencil: "Bellows from Mark Twain house in Hartford later in Storrs, left there when the [illeg.] moved."

Slides: Three County Fair
1940
Box 4: 27
Slides: Three County Fair
1949
Box 4: 28
Slides: Three County Fair
1957-1961
Box 4: 29
Slides: Three County Fair
1962
Box 4: 30

Administrative information

Access

The collection is open for research.

Provenance

Gift of Chris Emery, July 2017.

Separated Material

A collection of over 80 books related to the circus were separated from this collection and will be cataloged individually.

Digitized content

Selected materials have been digitized and are available for viewing online through our digital repository, Credo.

Separated Material

A book that came with the collection (Nathaniel Dwight, Short but comprehensive system of the geography of the world, 4th Northampton ed. Northampton, Mass. : S. and E. Butler, 1807) has been transferred for cataloging to SCUA's general book collection. The volume is inscribed on the ffep "Emily Dickinson's book, Northfield, June 10th," with a line of poetry, however neither the signature nor the poem are from the Amherst poet.

Processing Information

Processed by Joseph Liporace, 2017.

Language:

English

Copyright and Use (More information )

Cite as: George Emery Papers (MS 982). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.

Search terms

Subjects

  • Circus performers
  • Circus--History
  • Clowns
  • Three County Fair (Mass.)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst--Alumni
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst--Staff

Contributors

  • Emery, George [main entry]