Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: elephants

"I walked through an elephant. Lucy, Margate, New Jersey. National Landmark. 1881. 11253." An undated ticket stub from a tour of Lucy the Elephant , "a six-story elephant-shaped example of novelty architecture" and possibly "the oldest surviving roadside tourist attraction in America," according to Wikipedia.

An elephant on a vintage postcard.

"Compliments of Jonas Lauer, the clothier, 321 Lackawanna Avenue, Scranton, Pa." Other similar Jonas Lauer trade cards feature an an alligator , a dog , and a goat .

Heading to the circus at the Vintage Photos Theme Park . Elephants walk trunk to tail down the street as part of a parade to announce that the circus is in town. As Circus World points out as part of its History of the Great Circus Parade , "Circuses would travel from town to town, quickly erect tents, do several performances, then move on to the next venue. As the circus entered a new city, people would gather to watch the wagons, exotic animals, and equestriennes roll by." For another view of the same parade, see Circus Horses on Parade .

Stevens Bros. Circus Special Permit This permit entitles holder to kiss the big elephant's ass. Matinee performance only. Subject to federal tax. Issued by ________. Stevens Bros. Circus. An advertisement that appeared in the Circus Report , June 26, 1976 , p. 17, suggests how humorous permit cards like this may have been used: "Moochers Circus Pass. A few years back all billers and lithographers ahead of a circus carried these moocher passes for those 'pain in the neck' yahoos they ran into each day. They were also great to bring 'know-it-alls' down a peg. If you never saw one of these gems, they read 'Circus pass entitles the holder to Kiss the Great Big Elephant, etc. etc.' Nice business card stock, just a small supply."