Two-sided broadside/pamphlet, 19.75 x 27 in., for a Barnum & London show. One side with advertisement for
The Colossus of his Kind, Jumbo, accompanied by an illustration of Barnum's famous African Elephant. The broadside promotes additional attractions, some with illustrations, such as
Jo-Jo, Dog-Face Russian Boy,
Nala Damajanti, the Heroic and Beautiful Hindoo Snake-Charmer, the
Almost Human Clown Elephant, and
Admiral Dot, the Littlest of Men. Opposite side with advertisements for Barnum's Circus, Museum, and Hippodrome, dated
Whitehall, Tuesday, July 28, plus a
Greeting and Farewell from P.T. Barnum to his
American Patrons, in which he states that he will be taking his show across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Also included are lists outlining various facts and figures, such as
Notable Bridges of the World,
Tables of Weights and Measures,
Strength of Ice of Different Thickness,
Public Debt of the United States, etc. Printed by Morrell Brothers, Show Printers, Philadelphia, PA.
Born in the French Sudan, Jumbo (1861-1885), a male African Bush Elephant, was part of a group of captured animals imported to France and kept in the Paris Zoo, Jardin des Plantes, until 1865 when he was transferred to the London Zoo. While in London, he became a popular attraction, especially for the children, who were permitted to ride him. In November 1881, for the price of $10,000, Jumbo was sold to the Barnum & Bailey Circus. P.T. Barnum transported the elephant to New York, where he was exhibited at Madison Square Garden and was later included in a group of 21 circus elephants that crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to prove that the structure was safe within a year after a stampede on the bridge resulted in the death of a dozen people.
On September 15, 1885, while in St. Thomas, Ontario, Jumbo was hit and fatally wounded by a locomotive at a railway classification yard. Following his tragic death, Barnum had portions of the elephant separated and displayed at multiple sites to attract spectators. Following this tour, Jumbo's skeleton was donated to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, his heart was sold to Cornell University, and his hide was stuffed, mounted, and traveled with Barnum's circus for two years before it was donated to Tuft's University and displayed at P.T. Barnum Hall for many years. The hide was later destroyed in an April 1975 fire, but Jumbo's legacy lives on to this day as the mascot for Tuft's University.
Condition
Overall, a nice, clean broadside, with expected folds, and very light spotting along horizontal fold at center.