Phineas Taylor Barnum – the very name connotes American popular culture in the 19th century. The Great Showman and purveyor of public amusements never shied away from innovation in the course of his varied career, and so it seems only appropriate that a museum devoted to him should have a presence on the information superhighway.
Reading a lot of different soures i found that Barnum filled the American Museum with dioramas, panoramas, “cosmoramas,” scientific instruments, modern appliances, a flea circus, a loom run by a dog, the trunk of a tree under which Jesus’ disciples sat, a hat worn by Ulysses S. Grant, an oyster bar, a rifle range, waxworks, glass blowers, taxidermists, phrenologists, pretty-baby contests, Ned the learned seal, the Feejee Mermaid (a mummified monkey’s torso with a fish’s tail), a menagerie of exotic animals that included beluga whales in an aquarium, giants, midgets, Chang and Eng the Siamese twins, Grizzly Adams’s trained bears and performances ranging from magicians, ventriloquists and blackface minstrels to adaptations of biblical tales and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Museum enjoyed wide popularity. Actually i understand them, because even nowadays i would visit the museum like this with a great pleasure and interest.
Unfortunately this site is limited in scope, unreliable in detail and has too small screen. I don’t think that historian may use it as a credible tool. All exhibit so small so anybody even with great vision could hardly guess what is depicted there. And awful navigation!
i found video on youtube is more demonstrative and complete.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiBF0giOZFM&feature=related