Letter: To James A. Bailey from P.T. Barnum, July 5, 1888

Letter to James A. Bailey from P.T. Barnum, July 5, 1888 This letter regards business, especially that the circus is spending more than it is taking in. Barnum notes that this isn't Bailey's fault, but asks him to see where costs can be cut. Barnum then writes about his health, and expresses that he is trying to impress upon the public that "we are prepared to keep the something at the top of the something for generations to come. We want a good feature or novelty every year. You manage it ten times better than I could." P.T. Barnum wrote a large number of letters in his time, and as a public figure, received many in return. These manuscripts offer insight into his personal life via correspondence with friends and family, his business interests including the American Museum and the circus, and his personality. The various correspondents demonstrate how vast his social circle was, and the space he occupied as a public figure during his own lifetime.