Popular Entertainment
Minstrel shows, circuses, and museums filled with oddities were just some of the major attractions amusing audiences in the 19th century. The legendary showman Phineas T. Barnum kept America gazing in wonder for decades, and Stephen Foster, despite his own tragic life, would keep America singing. In Britain, playwrights like Oscar Wilde kept audiences laughing and thinking.
Jenny Lind's Tour of America Was a Sensation in the Mid-1800s
When Jenny Lind, an opera singer dubbed The Swedish Nightinagle, was brought to New York by Phineas T. Barnum in 1850 the city went crazy. Crowds numbering in the tens of thousands greeted her, and Jenny Lind's American concert tour set the standard for how performers would conquer America.
When Jenny Lind, an opera singer dubbed The Swedish Nightinagle, was brought to New York by Phineas T. Barnum in 1850 the city went crazy. Crowds numbering in the tens of thousands greeted her, and Jenny Lind's American concert tour set the standard for how performers would conquer America.
Cards for St. Valentine's Day Become a Tradition
Read about how the Valentine Card became a longstanding American tradition in the mid-1800s. In Massachusetts a young woman began manufacturing Valentine cards, and in Victorian England the noted illustrator Kate Greenaway produced very popular Valentines. By the end of the century, St. Valentine's Day was firmly established as a holiday.
Read about how the Valentine Card became a longstanding American tradition in the mid-1800s. In Massachusetts a young woman began manufacturing Valentine cards, and in Victorian England the noted illustrator Kate Greenaway produced very popular Valentines. By the end of the century, St. Valentine's Day was firmly established as a holiday.
Barnum's American Museum
Feature on Barnum's American Museum in New York City, with links to images and vintage writings about the legendary attraction, from the City University of New York.
Feature on Barnum's American Museum in New York City, with links to images and vintage writings about the legendary attraction, from the City University of New York.