Lot 202: P. T. Barnum

P. T. Barnum
Vintage sepia 4.25 x 6.5 Mora Studios cabinet photo, signed in the lower border in black ink, "P. T. Barnum, Bridgeport, Ct. June 6th 1888," with Barnum also adding, "Born July 5, 1810." In fine condition, with small ding to left edge and a few trivial surface marks to image. After an 1881 merger with James Bailey and James L. Hutchinson, P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show On Earth, And The Great London Circus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United, soon shortened to Barnum & London Circus. He and Bailey split up again in 1885, but came back together in 1888 with the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show On Earth, later Barnum & Bailey Circus, which toured around the world. The show's primary attraction was Jumbo, an African elephant he purchased in 1882 from the London Zoo.