Virtual Exhibitions

This week’s “Photo of the Week” is of Charles Sherwood Stratton, otherwise known as “General Tom Thumb”. Stratton was born in Bridgeport, CT on January 4th, 1838 and was “normal sized” until he was around 6 months old, when he stopped growing. When Stratton was 18yrs old, he was measured to be 2ft 8.5in tall and only grew about half a foot before his death at the age of 45. Despite being small in stature, Stratton was one of Barnum’s biggest attractions and became a very wealthy international superstar. He owned, and raced, a yacht called the 'Maggie B' which docked in Bridgeport. Here he is pictured in his yachting costume.  

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection. These pictures are posted on our website at: www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org, along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture. The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” is of Arthur James Caley, otherwise known as “Col. Routh Goshen”. Although there is controversy over his birth date, it is presumed to be on May 5th, 1837. Goshen travelled with Barnum and worked in Barnum’s American Museum in New York City. He was billed by P.T. Barnum to be the tallest man in the world at 7ft, 11inches and weighing over 620lbs - an obvious exaggeration. Goshen was married three times and divorced twice. He had an adopted daughter, Frances Sylvester, who travelled with him and may have even danced for Queen Victoria. Col. Routh Goshen died February 12, 1889 in Middlebush, New Jersey and was forever immortalized as the Middlebush Giant.

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection. These pictures are posted on our website at: www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org, along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture. The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook.

This week’s “Photo of the week” shows the entrance to Barnum’s third mansion, Waldemere. After Barnum’s first wife had died and he had remarried, his new wife expressed a desire for a new home. Likely she was uncomfortable in the mansion by the sea which was designed expressly for the woman who had come before her. In order to please his new wife, Barnum built her a new mansion, right besides Waldemere. While this mansion, Marina, was being completed the couple lived in Waldemere. When Marina was finished, Waldemere was knocked down.

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection. These pictures are posted on our website at: www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org/, along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture. The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook.

This “Photo of the Week” depicts Jenny Lind, the famous Swedish opera singer that Barnum engaged to tour across the United States. Lind’s tour began in September of 1850, and although she was already famous in Europe, in the months before her tour most Americans had never heard of her. Barnum set about to change this. He began a public relations blitz, writing articles and advertisements which described Lind as being good, kind, and charitable. By the time Lind arrived on American shores, the country was already in love with her. She fulfilled their expectations, making charitable donations to hospitals, orphanages, and institutions across the country.

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection. These pictures are posted on our website at: www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org, along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture. The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” is a picture of P.T. Barnum as an old man. The picture was taken in 1889 when Barnum was 79 years old, shortly before his death in 1891. It was taken during his final trip to London, where he went to do one final show before officially retiring.  He had attempted retiring many times before, after his museum burned to the ground and after his debacle with the clock factory, each time he came back even more excited about his ventures, but now his health was failing. Barnum was proud of his work regardless of its outcome and he never stopped publicizing his life's adventures. He even managed to get the New York Evening Sun to publish his obituary early, so that he could read it.

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection. These pictures are posted on our website at: www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org, along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture. The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” shows the sitting room at Waldemere.  The sitting room was probably one of the busiest rooms in the house, as Barnum was constantly inviting guests to come and visit.  Visitors were such a priority that the property included two guest cottages, so that guests could have their own place to stay.  Some of most famous visitors were newspaper editor and politician, Horace Greeley and renowned author Mark Twain. 

The Photo of the Week highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection.  These pictures are posted on our website at: www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org, along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture.  The Photo of the Week can also be found on Facebook.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” is of P.T. Barnum sitting in a horse drawn carriage in front of his mansion, Waldemere. Waldemere had been built for Barnum’s wife Charity, who he had wooed many years earlier with a fine horse and sleigh.  In his biography, Barnum writes about trying to get his grandfather to lend him his best horse.  When Barnum asked if he could borrow the horse, his grandfather said he could, but only if he had twenty dollars in his pocket.  Much to the old man’s surprise the young Barnum actually had the money. That night P.T. took his lady out in style. 

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection.  These pictures are posted on our website at:  www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org, along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture.  The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” shows the remains of Barnum’s American Museum in 1868.  Barnum’s first museum had burnt down in 1865 and it had taken time and a great deal of effort to get the institution back on its feet, but it burnt down again in under three years.  On March 3, 1868, in the middle of horribly cold winter, the second museum was destroyed. One should note that the picture shows that the museum was not only destroyed but also frozen over.  The day was so cold that the water used to put out the fire froze almost as soon as it touched air!  Spectators marveled at the ice as speculation mounted that the fire was instigated by Confederate spies in New York City.

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection.  The photographs can bee seen at: www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org,along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture.  The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook.

This week’s photo shows Waldemere which was Barnum’s third mansion in Bridgeport and the last which he shared with his wife Charity.  Charity Barnum was rather sickly in the last years before her death in 1873, and it was suggested by doctors that she move to the shore for her health.  It was for this reason that Barnum built Waldemere.   The mansion by the sea brought his wife a great deal of comfort in her final years.  A newspaper printed an article saying, "we shall never gaze upon its rounding slope of sun-kissed lawn with its rich borders of bright, fragrant flowers, upon its mounds of moss-grown stone and shell, its wooded park and its wave-washed shore without remembering her [Charity] to whom I believe this community are indirectly so deeply indebted for so much that is beautiful about our homes."

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection.  These pictures are posted on our website at:  www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org, along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within the picture.  The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook.

This week’s photo is of Barnum reading in front of his fire place.  Aside from the showman antics that Barnum was best known for, he also did a fair amount of writing.  Over the course of his life he published an autobiography titled "Struggles andTriumphs", an advice book titled "The Art of Money Getting", an adventure story book titled "Lion Jack", and a number of other books.  The Ar tof Money Getting can still be found in many bookstores, and some of his other works can be found online in full.

Online purchase made starting Saturday Sept. 29th through Wednesday Oct. 3 at Barnes&Noble will be counted towards a donation to the Museum's Recovery Fund with the use of our Bookfair Code 104740710! Join us, and Barnum, in a love of books, reading, and the Barnum Museum!

The "Photo of the Week" highlights pictures from The Barnum Museum’s collection.  These pictures are posted on our website at:  www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org,along with a brief description of the person, place or thing within thepicture.  The "Photo of the Week" can also be found on Facebook.