Themes in American History

Out of curiosity, I clicked “who burned down the museum” before I explore the museum. That’s how I see, P. T. Barnum, in his office and telling me (perhaps) to solve a mystery while I am exploring the museum. That video makes interested in this website even more. I learn that the original Barnum’s American Museum was burn to the ground in one of the most spectacular fires New York has ever seen on July 13, 1865. This virtual version of the museum may not be exactly same, but it certainly cannot be burn down anymore.

My museum night start with the Barnum’s office, which I truly realize that why some many people hated him so much. One picture on his table catch my attention. He was trying to challenge public’s attitudes about everything was happening in that period. Because his politic interests was focusing on race, slavery, and sectionalism in the period leading up to the American civil war. Therefore, he used the museum as one of his ways to speck to the public, such as he played Uncle Tom’s Cabin to make family entertainment. However, what he really wants to do is much more than entertainment.

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P.T Barnum’s Museum was burned down in 1865 and “The Lost Museum” became a website that gave people the chance to discover what the museum was all about. If your not much of a online computer person, you would have trouble navigating through the website.

I felt like I was Sherlock Holmes trying to solve a mystery. There was much to explore in this virtual museum. This museum was a place where families could go for entertainment. The way the museum attracted people was through a combination of having a zoo, lecture hall, wax museum, theater and a freak show. During this time, it was vital development of American popular culture. What stood out to me was the image below. It is the original “FeJee Mermaid” (a monkey’s head and torso combine with half of a fish) and it was originally brought in the Museum in 1842. It’s purpose was to be attractive and appealing to Americans’ fascination.

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The lost museum is a perfect place for knowing important information about the history of New York City in the 19^th century. When I went inside the museum through website music was playing for a short time which was interesting. There are pictures which signify the history of New York City culture in that period. While exploring I found a poster which promoted museum as an educational place. Barnum promises an attraction that is “as amusing as it is instructive”. The Drunkard is one of the most perfect and real pictures of life ever placed before the public. The Drunkard was written in 1844 by William H. Smith. The Drunkard, or, The Fallen Saved is presented with the moral message of temperance. This poster gives step by step and in detail about drinking alcohol. The Drunkard drew large audiences and helped Barnum attract “respectable” middle class women to his museum in an era when theatre attendance had been the sole province of working-class men. At the end of the poster instructions are given that intoxicated drinks are not allowed inside the museum.

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Barnum’s museum served an important function by allowing the middle class to develop a sense of their own daily life in contrast to that of the “freak”, keeping New York gazing in wonder for decades. Under the disguise of entertainment and education the Barnum Museum became the foremost house of spectacle of popular culture in the 19^th century. Barnum’s combination of the freak show along with educational displays such as animals and a aquarium (which unfortunately couldn’t see because it was closed L ) and morality plays (located on the third floor which also showed tips about etiquette and fire prevention/solution) ensured success for his museum because it created a spectacular space in which entertainment, wonder, and education appeared together in one place. Unfortunately not everything looks as good as it sounds. Some people were complaining about the conditions in which the animals were living in describing how cruel it was. The complaint letter stated that the animals did not have any ventilation and that was also very dangerous to the visitors if a fire may occur.

Looking around the Lost Museum’s website I found a picture of a white lady with afro hair. I clicked in the archive’s link and found out something really interesting. That woman in the picture was Zalumma Agra, one of Barnum’s Circassian Beauties. Many Circassian women, prized for their beauty, were sold into slavery. The primary requirement for women who played Circassians was that they be attractive and it seems, according to the website, that Zalumma was not really a circassian woman because her English was fluent and she didn’t know almost anything about that place. So it could have been any local girl with just teased hair paid to pose as a “harem refugee”. However, what it was most intriguing to me was that these women were looked as “examples of racial purity”.

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Lost Museum isn’t only a simple website which allows users to get an idea about New York during 19th Century. There is a very interesting story about “Lost museum” which explains what the purpose to navigate on line exhibitions is. In 1865 there was a fire which burned P.T Barnum’s American Museum.  The Lost Museum is sort of replication of that place and gives an opportunity to discover who is responsible for the fire. Unfortunately I couldn’t figure out who commit the crime but I found many interesting pieces of art which gave me a great overview of cultural history in New York City.

On the ground floor I found a poster which announces Baby Show Contest. According to the website the poster is a composite of text and images from primary sources, which provides with great details about this popular culture. This simple ad, points of the importance of family life and role of motherhood in those days. Also the idea of having a baby contest proves that people from 19^th century wanted to be entertained and the social life was very important to them. They didn’t worry about their privacy and they were ready to share their private life with no doubts. I won’t judge them because it reminds me a little bit of today’s Facebook but instead of publishing pictures on line, New Yorkers presented their babies during social events. Because mothers had to explain how they feed and take care of the baby so children had to be treated very well. But those were perceived as controversial, depending on contestants’ motivations. Probably some of they were introducing their babies to the public just to improve and entertain their simple domestic  life.  I believe that they were also individuals who were motivated by the awards, in this case money, which presents lack of morals and great desire to generate the profit. Besides the money the winner parent also gain prestige and respect in the society. It seems a little bit like “using a babies” for entrainment. In addition, according to the website, children who were looking foreign or poor in appearance couldn’t participate, which introduces discrimination and racism.

The 19^th century was very interesting time for American popular culture. People were seeking new attractions and entertainments which already suggest that New York population will be known from their unconventional ideas.

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My visit to the website of the Lost Museum was like a walk through a carnival maze with eyes closed and hands reaching forward. I suppose it is appropriate for P.T. Barnum’s museum. After opening the home page, I clicked “explore the museum”, music blaring through my speakers, Flash animation rotating images of what the museum floor plan popped up. I clicked on each image, as my cursor turned into a question mark. I click the question mark and VOILA! Another page opens which provides further information on the image. It took me quite some time to navigate the website and find particular information. I would have much more appreciated a simpler table of content and clearer instructions. There is literally a web-page dedicated to how to use the website, and that’s never good. What I did learn from the Barnum museum, is the elaborate forms of entertainment that were available in the 19th century NYC. This was a time before movies were even invented, however PT Barnum found ways to use technology and stagecraft to entertain people. These included “lantern slide shows, cosmoramas, and panoramas that presented images in new ways.” As seen in this image- in his program of amusements, Barnum listed a company of dwarfs, a mammoth fat infant, a beautiful circassian girl and glass blowers.

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1) Complete Reading
2) Visit http://www.lostmuseum.cuny.edu/home.html, choose “Explore the Museum,” and spend about 15-20 minutes exploring.
Write a post explaining your experience on the Lost Museum website. Be sure to categorize and tag your post. Include an image (don’t repeat what already used) that represents something you learned from your visit and at least one paragraph addressing one or more of the following questions:
-What does the Barnum museum tell you about entertainment in 19th century NYC?
-What does the museum tell us about cultural history of NYC or the U.S.?
-What is your opinion about the strengths and weaknesses of the website as a historical tool?

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