Talker

I gravitated to the images above in a group of color photographs from the 1940s in the Library of Congress. Reproduced by the Denver Post,* they carry the following captions:

1st image) Barker at the grounds at the Vermont State Fair. Rutland, Vermont, September 1941. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

2nd image) Backstage at the "girlie" show at the Vermont State Fair. Rutland, Vermont, September 1941. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

3rd image) At the Vermont State Fair. Rutland, Vermont, September 1941. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "barker" dates back in this sense to before 1859, when it was included in a slang dictionary as meaning "a man employed to cry at the doors of gaffs, shows, and puffing shops, to entice people inside." But my friend James Taylor, sideshow historian and snappy dresser, will tell you that those in the business - and he knows and has known plenty - never use the word "barker" and instead always refer to the person in front of the tent attempting to "turn the tip" as the "talker" and the person addressing the crowd inside the attraction as the "lecturer."

*Thanks, Barbara!