Items Similar to M’Toto – Famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum
Bailey Circus Gorilla
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 2
UnknownM’Toto – Famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum
Bailey Circus Gorillacirca 1940
circa 1940
$400
£305.09
€347.43
CA$562.12
A$613.07
CHF 324.76
MX$7,349.88
NOK 4,136.06
SEK 3,782.12
DKK 2,595.61
About the Item
Animals have always played a big role in the circus; elephants, tigers, lions. But decades ago the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus wowed their crowds with gorillas. One of those gorillas was known as M’Toto. She quickly became a household name in Sarasota, and her legacy lives on today. . . .
“She was nice to have around. Just to know that you had a friend who was a gorilla and a lot of people enjoyed that,” says former clown Toby Ballentine. M'Toto —Swahili for little child— was brought to the Suncoast in the 1940's by A. Maria Hoyt. The arrival happened in a time many in the U.S. knew very little about gorillas, says Pamela Rosaire, a long-time circus primate trainer. “In those days, you didn’t see gorillas... even in zoos. They hardly had any in this country or anywhere else for that matter.”
The Ringling Circus quickly put M’Toto to work, pairing her with another well-known gorilla at the time: Gargantua. The two were supposed to mate, but it never happened. “They wanted her to be his bride in the circus. They dressed it all up like they were going to get married in the circus. They didn’t get along at all.”
When M'Toto wasnt performing in the circus, she spent her time here at a home on Virginia Drive in Sarasota; a very unique, very long structure. Why a house like that? “On the circus train, she liked the train car, which was 80ft long. So in 1944, they built this house, and it’s 79 feet long,” says Ballentine.
He says M'Toto was practically human. “She was adopted as a human baby, and she wanted to wear pearls, and she brushed her teeth every day with a toothbrush and toothpaste in a sink.”
Max Wintiz, "Circus Confidential: M'Toto the gorilla's Sarasota legacy," May 5, 2014
- Creation Year:circa 1940
- Dimensions:Height: 9.49 in (24.1 cm)Width: 7.49 in (19 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Middletown, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: BH2271stDibs: LU1979217355562
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 2004
1stDibs seller since 2022
78 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 22 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Middletown, NY
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllTurn of the century parade Ringling Bros. and Barnum
Bailey Circus
Located in Middletown, NY
Gelatin silver print, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (190 x 241 mm) from the Roland Butler Collection, Press Agent, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1930s-1960s) Roland Butler Collectio...
Category
Early 20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Lou Jacobs Ringling Bros. and Barnum
Bailey Circus Clown with Giraffe
Located in Middletown, NY
Gelatin silver print mounted on board, 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (241 x 190 mm) from the Roland Butler Collection, Press Agent, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1930s-1960s) Roland...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Lou Jacobs World Famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum
Bailey Circus Clown
Located in Middletown, NY
Gelatin silver print mounted on board, 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (241 x 190 mm) from the Roland Butler Collection, Press Agent, Ringling Bros. and Barnum
Bailey Circus (1930s-1960s) Ro...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Circus Girl Trainer with Elephant
Located in Middletown, NY
Gelatin silver print mounted on board, 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches (241 x 190 mm) from the Roland Butler Collection, Press Agent, Ringling Bros. and Barnum
Bailey Circus (1930s-1960s)...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Elephant Long Mount Ringling Bros. and Barnum
Bailey Circus
Located in Middletown, NY
Gelatin silver print mounted on board, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (190 x 241 mm) from the Roland Butler Collection, Press Agent, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1930s-1960s) Roland...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Early 1900
s Circus Street Parade
Located in Middletown, NY
Gelatin silver print mounted on board, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (190 x 241 mm) from the Roland Butler Collection, Press Agent, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1930s-1960s) Roland...
Category
Early 20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
You May Also Like
Limited Edition Abstract Photograph In Frame; Teef Shinin
Located in New York, NY
Being a multiple-disciplinary visual artist has been
his driving force to challenge everything that told
him that a black boy from West Baltimore, MD had
no place in the world. Patri...
Category
2010s American Modern Figurative Photography
Materials
Luster, Photographic Paper
William S. Burroughs (50% OFF - LIMITED TIME ONLY)
By Robert Mapplethorpe
Located in Kansas City, MO
Robert Mapplethorpe
William S. Burroughs
Photograph insert from Radar No. 1 (1982)
Year: 1982
Size: 9.8 × 7.8 inches
Stamped verso, unsigned
Accompanied by Radar, Basel, Edition C.L...
Category
1980s American Modern Figurative Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
$190 Sale Price
50% Off
Bahamas Speed Week, Nassau, 1963 - Motorsports Vintage Cars Grand Prix in Nassau
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Bahamas Speed Week, Nassau, 1963 - Motorsports Vintage Cars Grand Prix in Nassau by Slim Aarons
16" x 20" print.
Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print.
Edition of 150.
Printed Later....
Category
20th Century American Modern Figurative Photography
Materials
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
Andros Island - Setting Sail on Watercraft from Archipelago in Bahamas
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Andros Island - Setting Sail on Watercraft from Archipelago in Bahamas
16" x 16" print on 16" x 20" paper.
Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print.
Edition of 150.
Printed Later.
"And...
Category
20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
Ice Hockey - Winter Sports on Frozen Lake by Snowy Mountain Landscape
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Ice Hockey - Winter Sports on Frozen Lake by Snowy Mountain Landscape by Slim Aarons
16 x 20" print.
Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print.
Edition of 150.
Printed Later.
'Ice Hocke...
Category
20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
C Print, Digital, Photographic Paper, Color
Brunch at Brennan
s, 1960 - Brunch Under Palm Trees at Indoor Garden Restaurant
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Brunch at Brennan's, 1960 - Brunch Under Palm Trees at Indoor Garden Restaurant
16" x 16" print on 16" x 20" paper.
Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print.
Edition of 150.
Printed Lat...
Category
20th Century American Modern Portrait Photography
Materials
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
