Physical object: Stereotype printing plate of P. T. Barnum letter

Cast metal printing plate used to reproduce a handwritten letter by P. T. Barnum. The letter is dated June 30, 1886, and was written in support of Irish Home Rule. Irish Home Rule movement was a contentious and hotly debated political issue for many years, the Irish seeking to exercise self-government within the United Kingdom. The brief letter states that Barnum will help chip in for the cause of Irish Home Rule. Barnum expressed his support of the Irish on many occasions. British Prime Minister Gladstone, a member of the Liberal Party, introduced the First Home Rule bill in 1886, the year of this letter, but it was defeated by the Conservative Party in Parliament. It is unknown if this printing plate was used in a local newspaper or for a flyer or pamphlet, but it is likely that it was created in response to a fundraising event held in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to support the cause for Irish Home Rule. The Bridgeport Daily Standard ran an advertisement for an event on July 2, 1886 headlined, “Irish Home Rule Fund: A Grand Demonstration.” Most likely Barnum was asked to attend the event, but was unable to do so and thus penned the letter from which the stereotype was cast. A report on the event from the Bridgeport Daily Standard states that Barnum gave $50 to the event, and was named vice president of the meeting. The letter reads as follows: “June 30, 1886. P.W[?], Esq. and Chairman Dear Sir, Yours rec'd. I don't go out much of an evening, but will cheerfully "chip in" with the rest of our people who believe as I do that "Home Rule" in Ireland on the basis last named by Mr. Parnell will, if established, be alike a blessing to England and Ireland. P.T. Barnum” The stereotype method of reproducing letters was not uncommon at the time, and many of Barnum's books include a letter to the reader on the frontispiece. Though these letters appears to be handwritten in ink, they are actually printed replicas, visually faithful to the original. At this late date in Barnum's life, and having achieved world fame, the idea of a "hand-written" letter by Barnum held particular appeal to the public. This particular letter reflects the mature Barnum’s worldview as someone deeply interested in democracy, freedom and suffrage for all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, or color. Although Barnum expressed a dim view of the Irish in the early edition of his autobiography, concerned about their ability to self govern, his opinions were transformed over time. The location of Barnum's American Museum in lower Manhattan meant he had many Irish immigrant customers; and his European tours had taken him to Ireland as well. He also had interactions with figures such as Daniel O’Connell, an Irish political leader who campaigned for Catholic emancipation and repeal of the Act of Union that had combined Ireland with Great Britain, and was in the same social circles as Thomas Francis Meagher, an Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders. Barnum also received praise (and a gold medal) from Irish priest Father Theobald Mathew for his Temperance advocacy, the cause to which Mathew devoted his time and energies.