This collection contains periodicals, clippings, correspondence, photographs, posters, and other memorabilia relating to the circus from the collection of Joseph Matthew Heiser, Jr. ( 1897-1987), a well-known Houston naturalist (see MSS 246, J. M. Heiser Jr. Environmental Collection) and long-time circus fan who served in both World Wars and was employed by the Texas Company as an accountant.

The collection documents the circus mainly through its advertising material. It contains over 800 posters from the 1890s to the present, as well as several hundred date sheets, most from Texas performers and specifically the Houston region. The collection also contains brochures, handbills, window cards, programs, and an extensive collection of newspaper clippings.

Also represented are Heiser's activities as a circus fan. He was a member of such organizations as Circus Fans of America, the Circus Historical Society, and Circus Model Builders, and the collection includes records of local meetings, conventions, and a substantial run of magazines published by these organizations.

During the 1930s and 1940s, Heiser took many behind the scenes photographs of performers in the "back yard" or back lots of the circus. These photographs were often featured in , the magazine of the Circus Fans of America. Most of these photographs, which are not of specifically local interest, have been donated to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin. However, the Heiser-Alban Collection contains over 1400 photographs.