Back in its heyday, Coney Island’s sideshows presented the audience with unbelievable and grotesque sights and people from around the globe, and these early sideshows would be framed by massive, hand-painted banners that act as advertising to entice passersby to go in and take a peek at the wonders inside.

Coney Island’s decline and the exploitative, racist and politically-incorrect nature of the sideshows themselves meant that they, too, were becoming nothing but a kitschy memory of the past. However, in 2005, sideshows began to enjoy a revival thanks to the efforts of not-for-profit Coney Island USA.

“Sideshows by the Seashore” now stages multiple performances per day of the traditional ten-in-one circus that feature a roster of talented sword swallowers, fire eaters, flame throwers, the mystical snake lady, burlesque artists, and more. Artist Marie Roberts painted a series of sideshow banners that are hung outside “Sideshows by the Seashore” that help to introduce the art of the sideshow to a new generation of visitors to the neighborhood.

I didn’t know about the history of these banners before I took photos of the sideshow banners, but I was really drawn by the vibrant colors and the expressive facial expressions of the people she depicted. In this particular banner, I really compelled to turn right and go toward the entrance of the venue.