The Circus is the only plate in Jazz in which the artist incorporated words into his composition. Matisse first designed this plate to serve as the cover for the book, which was originally titled Cirque (Circus). The artist’s cutout words on the left- and right-hand sides of the plate indicate his original intention, ultimately unrealized, for the print to be folded in half, with one side serving as the front cover and the other side serving as the back cover. On the right-hand side, or “front” of the plate, Matisse renders a tightrope walker in mid-act, one arm outstretched.