Similar to many other forms of circus advertising, this poster advertising The Great Carmo's Circus and Menagerie at Catford in May 1929 uses bright colours and dynamic images to sell its attractions.

The Australian-born magician and juggler Carmo, whose real name was Henry Cameron, began his career as a strong man before moving to England and entering the world of magic. He established his own circus in the 1927, opening his first show in Belfast's Balmoral Gardens in 1928, where his spectacular illusions complemented the animal and circus acts. The 1929 travelling show was a collaboration with Bertram Mills' new travelling circus, managed by his sons Cyril and Bernard, but using Carmo's name since Mills was reluctant to use his until the venture was a success. The partnership was dissolved the following season. By March 1930 Carmo closed his circus and returned to his magic show, but returned to circus that winter as Carmo's Colossal Circus at the Hippodrome, Newcastle upon Tyne, and London's Dominion Theatre. It was reinvented through a new partnership as the Stott-Carmo Circus but finally closed in 1937.