Alas, the poor and lowly sideshow banner, whose gaudy and garish, vibrantly colored canvas faces were not at all taken seriously as true works of art, or genuinely appreciated, until about sometime in the 1980's.  Prior to this, they were considered mere advertising signs that served one purpose, and one purpose only - to get the marks into the big show.  Once they had outlived their usefulness for their intended purpose, they were simply discarded, or worse yet used as tarps, and even to soak up oil under the show trucks.  Today, this would be considered pure blasphemy, and a disgrace to the industry itself.  But, mostly we would now see this as an insult to the fine artists who created all those beloved images that we all remember flying gallantly and gracing the fronts of every single sideshow that once traveled across America, the free.

Yet, ironically enough, even the original artists themselves at the time thought of these as nothing more than mere signage, and that they were just doing their jobs.  I am certain that none of them could ever have anticipated not only this newfound appreciation for this bizarre and untraditional art form, but also their rarity and prices that they are now demanding in the collector's market.  And now, those mere "sign painters" have been catapulted historically into a form of celebrity, whom shall not be soon forgotten and are loved by literally thousands of fans - unfortunately most of whom they acquired posthumously.

One could easily argue that the sideshow banner itself was the most important aspect of any sideshow.  Think how boring and drab a show front would have been without them.

Not to mention the fact that sideshow banners were the carnival equivalent of advertising billboards.  They were large, colorful, had little lettering, and conveyed the point across of the act or attraction with a large main image.  The marks had literally seconds to take in it's meaning, while passing by the show's exterior - much like one would do in passing a real billboard in their car.  They served their purpose, and served it well!  Even if a great deal of them met an untimely and unfortunate demise, mostly at the hands of the showmen themselves.

However, if a greater majority of these had survived the test of time and the elements, then they certainly would not have the value that they have achieved today, both monetarily and to the collector either.  The common and mundane are often overlooked and soon forgotten.  No one ever forgets seeing a sideshow banner, especially a great one.  What was once ordinary advertising signage, is now taken very seriously as folk and outsider art, by art dealers and collectors alike, although that was certainly never the intention.

May sideshow banners forever wave in our hearts and on the eternal midways of History.