Explore the world and writings of legendary showman Phineas Taylor Barnum, the man who revolutionized entertainment in 19th-century America. From important personal and professional correspondence to curious souvenirs saved from the dustbin of history, these ephemeral traces limn the origins of modern show business through the works of a visionary self-promoter who blurred the lines between reality, entertainment, and humbug.
Many of these seldom-seen documents deal with Barnum’s acquisition and later disposition of 760 acres of land in what is now metropolitan Denver, Colorado. On the advice of his daughter Helen and her husband Dr. William Buchtel, Barnum purchased the land for cheap during the bankruptcy of the Denver Villa Park Association in 1878, but his lofty goals for its development ran up against the relative undesirability of the land. Barnum ended up selling what he could then transferring the remaining property to Helen for the price of one dollar. William became mayor of Villa Park, then renamed Barnum, upon its incorporation in 1887.
Collection Highlights
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Barnum Letters
Correspondence in the hand of the greatest showman himself.
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Villa Park
Now known as Barnum, a neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, Villa Park was purchased by the eponymous circus mogul in 1878.
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Barnum’s American Museum
Documents related to Barnum’s first showbusiness venture, a dime museum in New York City.
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Jenny Lind
Barnum arranged the triumphant American debut of the famed “Swedish Nightengale” in 1850.