P.T. Barnum is certainly
the most well known showman in American history. He
employed sensational forms of presentation and publicity to popularize
such amusements as the public museum, the musical concert, and the three-ring
circus.
In 1835 , in New York City, he successfully presented Joice Heth, a
wizened black woman whom he advertised as the 161-year-old nurse to General
George Washington. On her death, it was exposed as a hoax. In 1842, Barnum
acquired John Scudder's American Museum, in N.Y.C., a five-story marble
structure filled with stuffed animals, waxwork figures, and similar conventional
exhibits. The new owner rapidly transformed the museum into a carnival of live
freaks, dramatic theatricals, beauty contests, and other sensational
attractions. By means of outrageous stunts,
repetitive advertising, and exaggerated publicity, Barnum excited international
attention and made his showcase of wonders a landmark. He gave it up in 1868 up
after fires twice had all but destroyed it.
Barnum's first successful exhibit in
the museum was the Feejee Mermaid, which had a seemingly human head topping the
finned body of a fish and was, of course, found later to be a fake. Among the
genuine curiosities were Chang & Eng , the Siamese twins . It was, however,
Charles S. Stratton, a man only 25 inches tall who was discovered by Barnum,
that proved to be his most profitable exhibit.
Eager to change his image from
promoter of freaks to impresario of artistic attractions, Barnum risked his
entire fortune by importing Jenny Lind, a Swedish soprano whom he had never seen
or heard and who was almost unknown in the United States. Dubbing Lind "The
Swedish Nightingale," Barnum mounted the most massive publicity campaign he
had ever attempted. Jenny Lind's opening night in New York, before a capacity
audience of 5,000, and her nine months of concerts across the United States
earned immense sums.
Although his name has been popularly
linked with the circus, Barnum did not, in fact, become a circus showman until
he was past the age of 60. Barnum did not invent the modern circus, but, in
partnership with the James A. Bailey, he did give the American spectacle its
gigantic size, its most memorable attractions, and its widest popularity,
attempting to make it what he called "the greatest show on earth."
Barnum capped his circus career by purchasing a 6 1/2-ton
elephant named Jumbo, who quickly earned back his purchase price during his
first season under the big top.
In 1891, his 81st year,
Barnum fell gravely ill. At his request, a New York newspaper published his
obituary in advance so that he might enjoy it.
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1865 AMERICAN MUSEUM FIRE - Harper's Weekly. July 29, 1865 complete issue of Harper's Weekly. Strong full page woodcut of the museum in flames, half page illustration of post fire and one column detailed report of the tragedy. From bound volume, irregular at spine (and split), otherwise VG complete issue. (ET.117); $55. |
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1865 AMERICAN MUSEUM FIRE - Boston Post. July 14, 1865. 4pp newspaper. Small 1/4 column page first reports of the fire that destroyed the American Museum in N. Y. Good rag stock, from bound volume, small tear to top edge, otherwise VG. (ET.121) $35. |
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1865 AMERICAN MUSEUM FIRE - Boston Post. July 15, 1865. 4pp newspaper. Wonderfully detailed 1 1/2 column first page page reports of the fire that destroyed the American Museum in N. Y, along with descriptive accounts how Barnum's famed attractions made their escape. Good rag stock, from bound volume, shows irregular spine, other VG. (ET.122) $85. |
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P.T. Barnum’s Circus. P.T. Barnum & Sarah J. Burke. White & Allen, New York, 1888. Pages not numbered, chromo litho frontis, and title page. Illus., one two page chromo litho, pictorial boards, light wear around edges, two page plates loose. $850.00 |
GENERAL TOM THUMB.. Certainly the most well known attraction of the 19th c., Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Stratton) entertained millions, along with the most important personages of his day. He was “discovered” by P.T.Barnum at the age of five in 1842, and became a celebrity overnight. In the process of his career, he was able to accumulate a fortune that enabled him to indulge a passion for racehorses and yachts. On Feb. 10, 1863 Tom Thumb married Lavinia Warren, in what was called the “Fairy Wedding”, at Grace Church in New York City. Interest in the wedding was intense; two thousand guest were invited. Gifts poured in from everywhere, including President and Mrs. Lincoln. The General died in 1883, at forty five years of age.
The following lots all pertain to Tom Thumb:
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JENNY LIND(1820-87). The Swedish soprano Jenny Lind was admired equally for her skilled coloratura (singing ornately embellished music) in opera and oratorio and her appealing style in simple songs. In 1850, she toured the United States as "The Swedish Nightingale" under the auspices of P.T. Barnum. Lind married her accompanist, Otto Goldschmidt, in 1852, and they moved to England in 1856. There she appeared in oratorios and recitals. She retired from singing in 1883 and taught at the Royal College of Music in London until 1886.
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Waino and Plutano, The Wild Men of Borneo, were actually Hiram and Barney Davis, two mentally retarded dwarf brothers from Connecticut. Though a mere 40 inches tall and weighing in at about 45 pounds each, the brothers were possessed of extraordinary strength. On stage, the pair would lift heavy weights, members of the audience, and wrestle – both male audience members and each other. Discovered by a traveling showman in 1850, dubbing them with new names, the showman concocted a story that the bloodthirsty pair had been captured by sailors in Borneo, but only after a desperate struggle requiring many guns, nets, and strong men. Starting in 1880, Waino and Plutano began appearing with P. T. Barnum, whose uncanny knack for promotion caused their careers to soar. Under Barnum, the Wild Men of Borneo became one of the world’s most famous attractions. The pair continued to work into the early part of the twentieth century, until Hiram’s death in 1905. Barney lived a while longer, but expired in 1912.
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"Circassian" women were regularly exhibited during the decades following the Civil War. Exhibitors frequently spun tales of "white slavery," harems, and rescue around the "Circassian" women to enthrall audiences. As the "purest" type of white person, Circassian women were said to be the most beautiful on earth, prized by Turkish sultans for their harems. Though almost all were surprisingly proficient in English, and mysteriously deficient in their knowledge of "Circassia," "Circassian Beauties" became a mainstay of dime museums and side shows until the end of the nineteenth century, attracting white audiences fascinated by the "exotic East" and preoccupied by issues of race.
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BARNUM BIOGRAPHY.
TOM
THUMB AND LAVINIA
COMMODORE NUTT AND MINNIE WARREN
FAIRY WEDDING WALTZ
HARPER'S
WEEKLY : Fairy Wedding.
1850
BIOGRAPHICAL BOOKLET OF TOM THUMB
1866 LAVINIA STRATTON
ALS.
JENNY LIND
WAINO AND
PLUTANO.
WAINO AND
PLUTANOR.
MADAME SHERWOOD, Giant Lady
COLONEL ROUTH GOSHEN, Giant.
COLONEL ROUTH GOSHEN, Giant.
ANN E LEAK, Armless Wonder.
ANN E LEAK, Armless Wonder.
CIRCASSIAN
QUEEN
TIGHT
ROPE WALKER. 