Thesis
Although P.T. Barnum is deemed "The Greatest Showman", his success is built on egregious exploitation and deception, which challenges his integrity amidst the spectacle. This website will explore his exploitative practices through Joice Heth and Zip the Pinhead, as well as manipulating the public sentiment in his favor through the FeeJee Mermaid.
Sources
P.T Barnum
- Herskowitz, Richard. “P. T. Barnum’s Double Bind.” Social Text, no. 2, 1979, pp. 133–41. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/466402.
- Mangan, Gregg. “P. T. Barnum: An Entertaining Life - Connecticut History: A Cthumanities Project.” Connecticut History, 5 July 2021, connecticuthistory.org/p-t-barnum-an-entertaining-life/.
Joice Heth
- Cervone, Vincent. “Joice Heth (c.1756 -1836).” George Washington’s Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/joice-heth-c-1756-1836/.
- “P.T. Barnum on Joice Heth, 1869” The Lost Museum Archive, American Social History Productions, Inc, https://lostmuseum.cuny.edu/archive/pt-barnum-on-joice-heth-1869.
- Reiss, Benjamin. “P. T. Barnum, Joice Heth and Antebellum Spectacles of Race.” American Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 1, 1999, pp. 78–107. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30041634.
Zip the Pinhead
- Wardi, Anissa Janine. “Freak Shows, Spectacles, and Carnivals: Reading Jonathan Demme’s ‘Beloved.’” African American Review, vol. 39, no. 4, 2005, pp. 513–26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40033690.
- Mark, and Mark. “Zip The ‘What Is It?’” Weird N.J., 6 Apr. 2023, weirdnj.com/stories/local-heroes-and-villains/zip-the-what-is-it/.
- “Zip the Pinhead - What Is It?” The Human Marvels, 16 Sept. 2023, www.thehumanmarvels.com/zip-the-pinhead-what-is-it/.
FeeJee Mermaid
- Szalay, Jessie. “The FEEJEE Mermaid: Early Barnum Hoax.” LiveScience, Purch, 9 Sept. 2016, www.livescience.com/56037-feejee-mermaid.html.
- “The FeeJee Mermaid.” The Lost Museum Archive, American Social History Productions, Inc, lostmuseum.cuny.edu/archive/exhibit/mermaid/.
P.T Barnum
- Herskowitz, Richard. “P. T. Barnum’s Double Bind.” Social Text, no. 2, 1979, pp. 133–41. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/466402.
- Mangan, Gregg. “P. T. Barnum: An Entertaining Life - Connecticut History: A Cthumanities Project.” Connecticut History, 5 July 2021, connecticuthistory.org/p-t-barnum-an-entertaining-life/.
Joice Heth
- Cervone, Vincent. “Joice Heth (c.1756 -1836).” George Washington’s Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/joice-heth-c-1756-1836/.
- “P.T. Barnum on Joice Heth, 1869” The Lost Museum Archive, American Social History Productions, Inc, https://lostmuseum.cuny.edu/archive/pt-barnum-on-joice-heth-1869.
- Reiss, Benjamin. “P. T. Barnum, Joice Heth and Antebellum Spectacles of Race.” American Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 1, 1999, pp. 78–107. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30041634.
Zip the Pinhead
- Wardi, Anissa Janine. “Freak Shows, Spectacles, and Carnivals: Reading Jonathan Demme’s ‘Beloved.’” African American Review, vol. 39, no. 4, 2005, pp. 513–26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40033690.
- Mark, and Mark. “Zip The ‘What Is It?’” Weird N.J., 6 Apr. 2023, weirdnj.com/stories/local-heroes-and-villains/zip-the-what-is-it/.
- “Zip the Pinhead - What Is It?” The Human Marvels, 16 Sept. 2023, www.thehumanmarvels.com/zip-the-pinhead-what-is-it/.
FeeJee Mermaid
- Szalay, Jessie. “The FEEJEE Mermaid: Early Barnum Hoax.” LiveScience, Purch, 9 Sept. 2016, www.livescience.com/56037-feejee-mermaid.html.
- “The FeeJee Mermaid.” The Lost Museum Archive, American Social History Productions, Inc, lostmuseum.cuny.edu/archive/exhibit/mermaid/.