Posters were used to announce upcoming human zoos and advertise the shows, highlighting their specific qualities and unique features.

1886 poster for an exhibition of a presentation of paintings of the stars (“Bilder a. d. Sternenwelt”) that took place in the Prater in Vienna. The second attraction mentioned on the poster is Mik Schorn – 17 years old, 3 meters tall and weighing 400 kg – and her uncle Mastre Shorp from the Congo performing his traditional dances and chants:

1887 Exhibition of Arabs of the Sahara Desert at the Hippodrome in Paris, France. Probably these two were test-prints or drafts which would explain why they were printed on cardboard:

1889 Les Lapons au Jardin d’acclimatation, a 133 x 100 cm poster:

ca. 1890 poster for an Egyptian group performing in Brussels “L’Egypte a Bruxelles” – printed by J. Morel:

1893 at the Exposition d’Ethnographie Coloniale 150 people form Dahomey (“Dahomeens”) were exhibited in Paris at the Champs de Mars. Chiefs, Amazones and warriors (“Chefs, Amazones, Guerriers”) presented their culture, customs, houses, battles and more (“mœurs, coutumes, habitations, combats, etc.”):

1895 Posters of the Exposition Russe Hippique et Ethnographique:

1896 Poster of the Exposition Nationale & Coloniale de Rouen:

1906 The Carl Hagenbeck Greater Shows toured the USA and presented “Carl Hagenbeck’s East India Exposition” – a human zoo of more than 100 individuals from India presenting the “traditional” life of India:

1910 poster of the Colonial Section of the Exposition Coloniale in Brussels:

1910 a poster for a big group from East Africa – supposedly Somalia – at Carl Hagenbeck’s zoo in Hamburg:

1910 a poster advertising an Indian group printed by the famous Adolph Friedländer, probably for Gustav Hagenbeck’s größte indische Völkerschau der Welt:

1911 Gustav Hagenbeck’s grösste indische Völkerschau der Welt was  presented at the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Apart from the performances in the Arena visitors could buy indian products – made by participants of the human zoo – at the Indian Market:

Late 1920ies (??) a poster from Circus Busch in cooperation with John Hagenbeck that announces a caravan of Indians and Singhalese (“Indier- und Singhalesen-Karawane”) and a Indian Village (“Indierdorf”):

1922 a poster of the French West African (Afrique Orientale Francaise) section of the Exposition Coloniale that took place in Marseille:

1931 poster for the “Colonial medical days” which took place et the  Exposition Coloniale in Paris:

1931 poster issued by the Galeries Lafayette promoting a visit to their terrace after a “tour of the world” at the Exposition Coloniale in Paris:

1931 a poster for the Völkerschau Kannibalen – a group from New Caledonia who performed at Hagenbeck’s zoo in Hamburg:

1948 (??) Poster for an exhibition at the Hagenbeck Zoo commemorating the 100th birthday of the Hagenbeck enterprise. The depicted mask is similar to those used in Sri Lanka for the so-called “devils dances” which were also performed during human zoos at the Hagenbeck Zoo – as seen on the postcard. Thus the poster could refer to the long tradition of human zoos at the Hagenbeck Zoo:

Ausstellung 100 Jahre Hagenbeck Tierpark Stellingen

1900/1901 J. & G. Hagenbeck’s Malabaren-Truppe 6

undated poster of the Cosaques Djiguites (1940-1950) printed by Aussel:

undated poster probably used to advertise a Zoulou group – printed in Dresden by C. C. Meinhold & Söhne: