This antique canvas banner advertises for a historic mechanical circus. The banner likely originates from around the turn of the century. Please take a close look at the photos for details on condition of the banner. Regarding it’s history, if the banner came from Europe then there are a few possibilities. If it came from the U. Then one rather strange, but strong, contender is Professor Faber’s Wonderful Talking Machine. It was invented right at the human-aided automaton era (later followed by the coin-operated era) in the early 1840s, although it did take Australian inventor Joseph Fabre a few tries to get it right. In 1845 he presented it in Philadelphia, and again in 1846 in London. A revamped version started touring with P. Barnum in the 1870s. What made “Euphonia” such an interesting machine is the movements of the throat and mouth that emulated human movements in sound. It was so eerie and weird that people believed there was a trapped soul or a reanimated corpse being manipulated – hence the overemphasis on the word Mechanical. ” This banner measures 171″L x 60H. AF – 4444 – 081623 ___ -Our items may contain rust, dust, grease, or grit. All of our pieces are reclaimed from industrial environments where they may have been exposed to years of use and weathering. As such, each piece has character. Industrial Artifacts cannot be held responsible for matters of taste regarding the character of a piece. Bulbs for light fixtures are not included unless specified. ALL ITEMS ARE INSURED FOR THEIR FULL VALUE. In these cases, we will insure them to the full extent available, but will not be responsible for additional damages above the available insured amount. From our facility in DeKalb, IL.