This Saturday, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art opens The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithography Company, 1879-1939. The exhibit, which showcases the circus’ influence on American culture, runs from Sept. 17 to Jan. 29, and features 80 posters that were originally distributed throughout the country advertising cities' circus days—a holiday, explains exhibit co-curator Deborah Walk, that was almost as important to Americans as the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas. “Visitors can see the immense impact the circus had on American culture and how advertising techniques have changed since then as the pace of our lives have sped up.”

We got a sneak peek of the exhibit before it opens to the public—here are some of the posters you’ll see when you go.