Book: Panorama of Barnum's Roman Hippodrome and Grand Procession of Congress of Nations
Booklet entitled Panorama of Barnum's Roman Hippodrome and Grand Procession of Congress of Nations. Published in 1874, it features the adventures a... Show moreBooklet entitled Panorama of Barnum's Roman Hippodrome and Grand Procession of Congress of Nations. Published in 1874, it features the adventures a man named Mr. Podger as he visits P.T. Barnum's Roman Hippodrome in New York City. Each page features an elaborate illustration paired with a caption. It begins with Podger fulfilling his promise that if he was ever in New York, he would visit Barnum's. He is immediately then grabbed by two monkeys, manages to trip over Admiral Dot (Leopold Khan), goes out to see the sea lions only to be splashed, goes out to have a drink from his flask only to be joined by a monkey who then steals his hat and umbrella, tries to ask a wax figure for directions, has something go up his leg, gets scared by a lion, sees animals and cages and wonders what it would be like if roles were reversed, is picked up by an elephant, and attacked by a turtle, all before he meets P.T. Barnum. The book ends with Podger walking off into the rain with his broken umbrella, and includes a post-script featuring Mr. Podger dreaming of all the animals he saw earlier in the day. Also included is a large pull out of the congress of nations itself, with various chariots associated with countries being pulled by appropriate animals to represent those same countries: such as Lapland's carriage being pulled by reindeer. This kind of booklet was likely a souvenir, and well worth showing off to friends and family. Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus, but his circus ventures came about when he was in his 60s. The first show was called P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus. Railroads propelled the circus to success, making it easier to reach a number of locations, and the intake was significant. Barnum then opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, he encountered competition from other circuses. A merger between Barnum's show and the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the Barnum and London Circus. Negotiations in 1887 formed the Barnum and Bailey circus. The name remained until 1919 when it became the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It came to an end in May 2017 when the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus ceased performances after 146 years. Show less