P.T. Barnum

Today, we all know P.T. Barnum as "The Greatest Showman". He has the reputation of being one of the most successful entertainment entrepreneurs in history. He was able to garner such success through his sensational entertainments and intriguing promotions. However, amidst the spectacle lies the truth of his success, which was built on egregious exploitation and deception.

Introduction

Background

Before the fame

Phineas Taylor Barnum, also known as P.T. Barnum, was born in Bethel, Connecticut on July 5th, 1810. Bethel held onto conservative values, and life for the Barnum family there could be described as mundane. Phineas Barnum, P.T. Barnum's grandfather, relished in practical jokes (also known as pranks), to mitigate the mundane. It could be said that his grandfather had a significant influence in shaping his personality and character, especially seen during his peak (Mangan, 2021).

The emergence of Barnum in the public eye started when a customer entered Barnum's grocery store and offered to sell Joice Heth, which he labeled as a 'curiosity' (Mangan, 2021). Heth was an African American woman who was allegedly a former wetnurse of George Washington and was 161 years old. Barnum did not hesistate on leveraging this opportunity, all thanks to his interest in speculative investments. From there, he captivated the public's attention due to his promotions.
More on Joice Heth here...

Career

The Start

Barnum's official career started when he purchased a museum in lower Broadway of NYC and reopening it as "Barnum's American Museum". In this museum, he displayed various oddities such as the Feejee Mermaid and Tom Thumb, as well as promoted his venue in capitivating ways. Notably, this is the beginning of his success as " 'Barnum's American Museum' was what he called 'the ladder' by which he rose to his fortune" (Mangan, 2021). Afterwards, Barnum began touring internationally with individuals he promoted such as Tom Thumb and Jenny Lind. Undeniably, his tours were a big success.