Nancy E. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190645236
- eISBN:
- 9780190937270
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190645236.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century, Cultural History
With the arrival in New York of the celebrated Chinese junk Keying in 1847, Afong Moy’s presence as a well-known Chinese spectacle was again in demand. Chapter 10 tells us that after an eight-year ...
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With the arrival in New York of the celebrated Chinese junk Keying in 1847, Afong Moy’s presence as a well-known Chinese spectacle was again in demand. Chapter 10 tells us that after an eight-year hiatus, P. T. Barnum, America’s preeminent promoter, engineered her return. Coupled with Tom Thumb, Barnum recounted their origin stories in a seven-page pamphlet and presented them together at his American Museum in 1848. In characteristic fashion, in 1850, Barnum supplanted one Chinese female spectacle with another, a supposed Chinese woman of a younger age named Pwan-ye-koo. She presented in Afong Moy’s place in America and later in England. Foreigner Jenny Lind’s arrival in late 1850 captivated the American public, and Afong Moy—first a billboard for Chinese goods and then an objectified oriental exotic—was completely forgotten.Less
With the arrival in New York of the celebrated Chinese junk Keying in 1847, Afong Moy’s presence as a well-known Chinese spectacle was again in demand. Chapter 10 tells us that after an eight-year hiatus, P. T. Barnum, America’s preeminent promoter, engineered her return. Coupled with Tom Thumb, Barnum recounted their origin stories in a seven-page pamphlet and presented them together at his American Museum in 1848. In characteristic fashion, in 1850, Barnum supplanted one Chinese female spectacle with another, a supposed Chinese woman of a younger age named Pwan-ye-koo. She presented in Afong Moy’s place in America and later in England. Foreigner Jenny Lind’s arrival in late 1850 captivated the American public, and Afong Moy—first a billboard for Chinese goods and then an objectified oriental exotic—was completely forgotten.
Ter Ellingson
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520222687
- eISBN:
- 9780520925922
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520222687.003.0021
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
In early 1864, a pamphlet called Miscegenation was published anonymously in the United States. This chapter examines P. T. Barnum's account of it in Humbugs of the World. Barnum describes the adroit ...
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In early 1864, a pamphlet called Miscegenation was published anonymously in the United States. This chapter examines P. T. Barnum's account of it in Humbugs of the World. Barnum describes the adroit manipulations of politicians and the media used to make the pamphlet an international sensation and to associate it in the public mind with the Republicans—then the party of Lincoln, emancipation, and racial equality—to discredit them in that year's election campaign. In the five years from 1859 to 1864, three great anthropological discursive hoaxes had been successfully constructed and sold to a broad consumership: the “Noble Savage,” the “missing link,” and “miscegenation.” Crawfurd had been instrumental in promoting two of the three, including the Noble Savage, which would have the longest-running success of all.Less
In early 1864, a pamphlet called Miscegenation was published anonymously in the United States. This chapter examines P. T. Barnum's account of it in Humbugs of the World. Barnum describes the adroit manipulations of politicians and the media used to make the pamphlet an international sensation and to associate it in the public mind with the Republicans—then the party of Lincoln, emancipation, and racial equality—to discredit them in that year's election campaign. In the five years from 1859 to 1864, three great anthropological discursive hoaxes had been successfully constructed and sold to a broad consumership: the “Noble Savage,” the “missing link,” and “miscegenation.” Crawfurd had been instrumental in promoting two of the three, including the Noble Savage, which would have the longest-running success of all.
David Monod
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781501702389
- eISBN:
- 9781501703997
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501702389.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
This chapter narrates the account of P. T. Barnum, an entrepreneur who harnessed the growing popularity of the theatre to further his business ventures. During his stint at the Vauxhall, Barnum ...
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This chapter narrates the account of P. T. Barnum, an entrepreneur who harnessed the growing popularity of the theatre to further his business ventures. During his stint at the Vauxhall, Barnum noticed that the taste for popular family entertainment of a reasonably respectable kind existed even among members of the artisan class. While pleasure gardens welcomed families, theatres traditionally did not, Barnum recognized the benefits of breaking this tradition. When he learned in 1841 that Scudder's American Museum, on the corner of Broadway and Ann, had been put up for sale, he secured it. Here, in 1841, Barnum began mounting spiritually invigorating dramas and family-oriented minstrel and variety shows.Less
This chapter narrates the account of P. T. Barnum, an entrepreneur who harnessed the growing popularity of the theatre to further his business ventures. During his stint at the Vauxhall, Barnum noticed that the taste for popular family entertainment of a reasonably respectable kind existed even among members of the artisan class. While pleasure gardens welcomed families, theatres traditionally did not, Barnum recognized the benefits of breaking this tradition. When he learned in 1841 that Scudder's American Museum, on the corner of Broadway and Ann, had been put up for sale, he secured it. Here, in 1841, Barnum began mounting spiritually invigorating dramas and family-oriented minstrel and variety shows.
Andrew Horrall
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781526113849
- eISBN:
- 9781526128225
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781526113849.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter explores aspects of nineteenth-century popular culture that contributed to the emergence of the cave man character. References are made to previous works from history, cultural and ...
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This chapter explores aspects of nineteenth-century popular culture that contributed to the emergence of the cave man character. References are made to previous works from history, cultural and literary studies and the history of science. These show how long-standing ideas about the earth’s history were challenged by geological, archaeological and paleontological evidence of ancient and extinct mammals, dinosaurs and hominids. Elite ideas were popularised for a mass public by scientists themselves, and through evolutionary freak shows that exploited scientific controversies for profit. Increasingly, scientific ideas were generalised and disseminated by mass-market, heavily illustrated books and magazines. A new style of comic magazine introduced ‘cartoons’ which poked gentle fun at current sensations, as did an emerging entertainment industry centred on music hall, pantomime and other forms of popular theatre. New steam-powered transportation meant that books, magazines and performers travelled farther and faster than ever before. Britain was the hub of this new mass culture, both spreading and receiving ideas through a continuous, reciprocal dialogue with the emerging empire and America.Less
This chapter explores aspects of nineteenth-century popular culture that contributed to the emergence of the cave man character. References are made to previous works from history, cultural and literary studies and the history of science. These show how long-standing ideas about the earth’s history were challenged by geological, archaeological and paleontological evidence of ancient and extinct mammals, dinosaurs and hominids. Elite ideas were popularised for a mass public by scientists themselves, and through evolutionary freak shows that exploited scientific controversies for profit. Increasingly, scientific ideas were generalised and disseminated by mass-market, heavily illustrated books and magazines. A new style of comic magazine introduced ‘cartoons’ which poked gentle fun at current sensations, as did an emerging entertainment industry centred on music hall, pantomime and other forms of popular theatre. New steam-powered transportation meant that books, magazines and performers travelled farther and faster than ever before. Britain was the hub of this new mass culture, both spreading and receiving ideas through a continuous, reciprocal dialogue with the emerging empire and America.
Michael Pettit
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226923741
- eISBN:
- 9780226923758
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226923758.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Americans were fascinated with fraud. P. T. Barnum artfully exploited the American yen for deception, and even Mark Twain championed it, ...
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During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Americans were fascinated with fraud. P. T. Barnum artfully exploited the American yen for deception, and even Mark Twain championed it, arguing that lying was virtuous insofar as it provided the glue for all interpersonal intercourse. But deception was not used solely to delight, and many fell prey to the schemes of con men and the wiles of spirit mediums. As a result, a number of experimental psychologists set themselves the task of identifying and eliminating the illusions engendered by modern, commercial life. By the 1920s, however, many of these same psychologists had come to depend on deliberate misdirection and deceitful stimuli to support their own experiments. This book explores this paradox, weaving together the story of deception in American commercial culture with its growing use in the discipline of psychology. The author reveals how deception came to be something that psychologists not only studied but also employed to establish their authority. Psychologists developed a host of tools—the lie detector, psychotherapy, an array of personality tests, and more—for making deception more transparent in the courts and elsewhere. This study illuminates the intimate connections between the scientific discipline and the marketplace during a crucial period in the development of market culture.Less
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Americans were fascinated with fraud. P. T. Barnum artfully exploited the American yen for deception, and even Mark Twain championed it, arguing that lying was virtuous insofar as it provided the glue for all interpersonal intercourse. But deception was not used solely to delight, and many fell prey to the schemes of con men and the wiles of spirit mediums. As a result, a number of experimental psychologists set themselves the task of identifying and eliminating the illusions engendered by modern, commercial life. By the 1920s, however, many of these same psychologists had come to depend on deliberate misdirection and deceitful stimuli to support their own experiments. This book explores this paradox, weaving together the story of deception in American commercial culture with its growing use in the discipline of psychology. The author reveals how deception came to be something that psychologists not only studied but also employed to establish their authority. Psychologists developed a host of tools—the lie detector, psychotherapy, an array of personality tests, and more—for making deception more transparent in the courts and elsewhere. This study illuminates the intimate connections between the scientific discipline and the marketplace during a crucial period in the development of market culture.
Robin Blyn
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780816678167
- eISBN:
- 9781452947853
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816678167.001.0001
- Subject:
- Art, Visual Culture
Since the 1890s, American artists have employed the arts of the freak show to envision radically different ways of being. The result is a rich avant-garde tradition that critiques and challenges ...
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Since the 1890s, American artists have employed the arts of the freak show to envision radically different ways of being. The result is a rich avant-garde tradition that critiques and challenges capitalism from within. This book traces the arts of the freak show from P. T. Barnum to Matthew Barney and demonstrates how a form of mass culture entertainment became the basis for a distinctly American avant-garde tradition. Exploring a wide range of writers, filmmakers, photographers, and artists who have appropriated the arts of the freak show, the text exposes the disturbing power of human curiosities and the desires they unleash. Through a series of incisive and often startling readings, the book reveals how such figures as Mark Twain, Djuna Barnes, Tod Browning, Lon Chaney, Nathanael West, and Diane Arbus use these desires to propose alternatives to the autonomous and repressed subject of liberal capitalism. The book explains how, rather than grounding revolutionary subjectivities in imaginary realms innocent of capitalism, freak-garde works manufacture new subjectivities by exploiting potentials inherent to capitalism.Less
Since the 1890s, American artists have employed the arts of the freak show to envision radically different ways of being. The result is a rich avant-garde tradition that critiques and challenges capitalism from within. This book traces the arts of the freak show from P. T. Barnum to Matthew Barney and demonstrates how a form of mass culture entertainment became the basis for a distinctly American avant-garde tradition. Exploring a wide range of writers, filmmakers, photographers, and artists who have appropriated the arts of the freak show, the text exposes the disturbing power of human curiosities and the desires they unleash. Through a series of incisive and often startling readings, the book reveals how such figures as Mark Twain, Djuna Barnes, Tod Browning, Lon Chaney, Nathanael West, and Diane Arbus use these desires to propose alternatives to the autonomous and repressed subject of liberal capitalism. The book explains how, rather than grounding revolutionary subjectivities in imaginary realms innocent of capitalism, freak-garde works manufacture new subjectivities by exploiting potentials inherent to capitalism.
Zachary McLeod Hutchins
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199998142
- eISBN:
- 9780199382415
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199998142.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 18th Century and Early American Literature
The epilogue traces the influence of New England’s edenic influence on the formation of American identity by way of Benjamin Franklin, a Freemason who adopted and adapted edenic ideals in ways that ...
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The epilogue traces the influence of New England’s edenic influence on the formation of American identity by way of Benjamin Franklin, a Freemason who adopted and adapted edenic ideals in ways that popular nineteenth-century writers like George Thompson and P. T. Barnum would imitate. A belief in the biblical Eden continued to influence nineteenth-century fiction by Nathaniel Hawthorne and James Fenimore Cooper, among others, but fringe religious figures like Sojourner Truth, Robert Matthews or the prophet Matthias, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young were the true inheritors of this New England interest in recreating a historical Eden. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded by Smith, and the coalition of environmentalist groups currently working to return the earth to an imagined prior, pristine state are just two of the diverse movements still striving to invent Eden today.Less
The epilogue traces the influence of New England’s edenic influence on the formation of American identity by way of Benjamin Franklin, a Freemason who adopted and adapted edenic ideals in ways that popular nineteenth-century writers like George Thompson and P. T. Barnum would imitate. A belief in the biblical Eden continued to influence nineteenth-century fiction by Nathaniel Hawthorne and James Fenimore Cooper, among others, but fringe religious figures like Sojourner Truth, Robert Matthews or the prophet Matthias, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young were the true inheritors of this New England interest in recreating a historical Eden. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded by Smith, and the coalition of environmentalist groups currently working to return the earth to an imagined prior, pristine state are just two of the diverse movements still striving to invent Eden today.
Nancy E. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190645236
- eISBN:
- 9780190937270
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190645236.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century, Cultural History
This book encompasses the life of Afong Moy, the first known Chinese female sojourner in America. Brought to this country by American merchants in 1834, she traveled the country on bound feet as an ...
More
This book encompasses the life of Afong Moy, the first known Chinese female sojourner in America. Brought to this country by American merchants in 1834, she traveled the country on bound feet as an advertisement and attraction for their Chinese imported wares. Cast by the national press as an exotic curiosity, she also provided insight on Chinese life and material culture to the general public as well as to American presidents and politicians. The everyday goods Afong Moy promoted were widely adopted by the middle class, but acceptance of these goods did not extend to her acceptance as a Chinese woman. Afong Moy’s arrival at a time of great upheaval in American cultural and economic life placed her in the crosshairs of slavery, Native American removal, the moral reform movement, and ambivalent attitudes toward women. During her three-year journey throughout the mid-Atlantic, New England, the South, Cuba, and up the Mississippi River her race provided an occasion for public scorn, jingoism, religious proselytizing, or paternalistic control. As the first researched account of Afong Moy’s life, the book presents the intertwining narrative of her coerced travel, the American merchants who initially sponsored her, and Americans’ reaction to her later presentation of Chinese culture on P. T. Barnum’s stage.Less
This book encompasses the life of Afong Moy, the first known Chinese female sojourner in America. Brought to this country by American merchants in 1834, she traveled the country on bound feet as an advertisement and attraction for their Chinese imported wares. Cast by the national press as an exotic curiosity, she also provided insight on Chinese life and material culture to the general public as well as to American presidents and politicians. The everyday goods Afong Moy promoted were widely adopted by the middle class, but acceptance of these goods did not extend to her acceptance as a Chinese woman. Afong Moy’s arrival at a time of great upheaval in American cultural and economic life placed her in the crosshairs of slavery, Native American removal, the moral reform movement, and ambivalent attitudes toward women. During her three-year journey throughout the mid-Atlantic, New England, the South, Cuba, and up the Mississippi River her race provided an occasion for public scorn, jingoism, religious proselytizing, or paternalistic control. As the first researched account of Afong Moy’s life, the book presents the intertwining narrative of her coerced travel, the American merchants who initially sponsored her, and Americans’ reaction to her later presentation of Chinese culture on P. T. Barnum’s stage.
