Illustration of P. T. Barnum's Bridgeport, Connecticut, home called Waldemere, and adjacent Seaside Park. The illustration appeared in the August 29, 1874, issue of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, a popular weekly publication. The Barnum family home was relatively new at the time this illustration was published, having been completed in 1869, however, the reason for publicity could possibly relate more to Barnum's Mayoral aspirations other reasons. He served as Mayor of Bridgeport the following year, in 1875. The top scene gives a full view of Waldemere and its ornate architectural details; the mansion was built in the High Victorian style fashionable in the post-Civil War era. The Barnum family had previously owned two other homes in Bridgeport, located further inland. Waldemere was built by Seaside Park upon the family's doctor's recommendation that proximity to sea air would improve Charity Barnum's poor health. Charity continued to languish, and she died on November 19, 1873, nine months before this image was published. The middle scene, titled "On the Porch," shows P. T. seated with newspaper in hand. A man and a women are also seated a few feet away, and a domestic servant is shown carrying a tray. Though Barnum is shown wearing a suit, the casual scene suggests a moment of relaxation, with Barnum wearing his slippers. The identities of the individuals seated are unknown. Barnum had remarried in England just three months after Charity's death, but as his union with the much-younger Nancy Fish was kept secret, he returned to the United States by himself and his "bride" later followed. Their American wedding took place in New York on September 16, 1874, nearly a month after this illustration was published. The fountain shown in the illustration at the center right was later given by Barnum to the town of Bethel, Connecticut, where it was installed in a small park in the center of town. The bottom illustration shows Seaside Park with a curved pedestrian pathway and wide drive for carriages. Men and women are shown strolling along the path or seated on benches looking out to Long Island Sound at low tide, where a small lighthouse is in view. Together the pictures promote scenes of tranquility and pleasure in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Barnum, along with industrial magnate Nathaniel Wheeler, was instrumental in establishing Seaside Park as a place of leisure open to all. Waldemere was the third of four homes that P.T. Barnum built in Bridgeport, and was taken down in the late 1880s when his fourth home, Marina, was built next to it. In addition to the mansion, the grounds included a home called Wavewood, built for the Barnums' daughter and son-in-law, Caroline and David Thompson, and a guest cottage called the Petrel’s Nest. Waldemere endured for twenty years, thus stands as the home that Barnum lived in for the longest period of time. Today, the University of Bridgeport owns the former grounds of both Waldemere and Marina.