"the skills and arts of one who presents shows to public audiences for admission," 1859, from showman "one who presents shows" + -ship.
Entries linking to showmanship
showman n.
"one who presents shows," especially a proprietor of a travelling exhibition, 1734, from show (n.) + man (n.).
-ship
word-forming element meaning "quality, condition; act, power, skill; office, position; relation between," Middle English -schipe, from Old English -sciepe, Anglian -scip "state, condition of being," from Proto-Germanic *-skepi- (cognates: Old Norse -skapr, Danish -skab, Old Frisian -skip, Dutch -schap, German -schaft), from *skap- "to create, ordain, appoint," from PIE root *(s)kep-, forming words meaning "to cut, scrape, hack" (see shape (v.)). It often forms abstracts to go with corresponding concretes (friend/friendship, etc.).