Levitation, magicians, gambling, “smart pigs”, acrobatic tricks – the people of the 19th century had a great choice of how to spend their free time. If you read the American newspapers of that time, you can see that the public was offered dizzying and varied entertainment. This industry flourished in response to the great social and cultural changes that the Industrial Revolution brought. It led to an increase in the urban population, and a rapidly growing middle class gained wealth and free time.
Levitation, magicians, gambling, “smart pigs”, acrobatic tricks – the people of the 19th century had a great choice of how to spend their free time. If you read the American newspapers of that time, you can see that the public was offered dizzying and varied entertainment. This industry flourished in response to the great social and cultural changes that the Industrial Revolution brought. It led to an increase in the urban population, and a rapidly growing middle class gained wealth and free time.
The Best American Showman of the 19th Century
Phineas Taylor Barnum still bears the title of “The Greatest Showman in Human History”. At the time, when there were no online casinos for real money or massive football matches, people had fun by visiting circus shows and theatre performances. Barnum was an American businessman and politician who owned a circus called “Barnum and Bailey’s Circus”. He began showing people with unusual abilities and called it “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
Barnum was the first circus owner to travel from town to town by train. He used live ads to announce his shows: he placed small stages on the streets and invited people to perform in them, thereby involving the audience in the action. The businessman used a special font on his posters, which is known today as “Barnum”.
Live Tours of Artists
Barnum was the first in the history of show business to start organizing tours of artists. In 1850, he organized an American tour for singer Jenny Lind, who was from Europe and no one knew her in America. He used the admiration of Queen Victoria to advertise these shows. Many contemporaries thought that he often took risks, but in fact, he was a very good businessman, who thought out every step. Barnum said that “the audience is a strange animal and it would seem that you know human nature very well and, as an artist, you understand how to please it, but it is so fickle!”
Mystifications as the Source of Income
One of his greatest accomplishments is the creation of mystifications. In 1835, Joyce Heath, the owner of an Afro-American slave woman came to see him. He told Barnum that he had supporting documents that the woman was 161 years old and she was a nanny for US President George Washington. Barnum probably realized that something was wrong in this story, but still seized on the idea and bought a woman for $1,000. To complete this deal, he had to sell his stake in the grocery business. Then, he immediately went on tour to several cities in the United States. People were ready to buy cheap tickets to see the woman changing diapers for President Washington. The company has been making good money for 1.5 years and brought its organizer the first money.
The 19th century was a mystical time, but it was the beginning of the modern entertainment industry, in which Phineas Taylor Barnum took an active role.
