Calder created the invitations for his early performances of the Circus, which took place in art galleries and studio spaces, rented rooms and private homes. Demonstrating the informal nature of these stagings, some are handwritten and others he printed himself. For certain invitations, Calder used a collographic process: he cut and carved cast-off materials in the shapes of letters and then adhered them to a printing plate, likely a piece of cardboard or similar surface.
