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BECOMING BARNUM: The Journey to Fame and Fortune
Instructive Entertainments: Early 19th Century Panoramas - Episode 34
In this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, P.T. Barnum rented breathtaking panoramas for his museum from a Scottish painter named Marshall. But he was afraid Marshall would charge extra if he found out Barnum wanted to send them to other museums. So, Barnum schemed to get the panoramas cheaply, even considering copying them. Eventually, he agreed to pay 6000 francs, after shaving off 2000 from another artist's quote. Barnum was determined to get a first-rate artist to paint the scenes, but refused to pay in advance. Tune in now for Barnum's relentless efforts to ensure everything is perfect.
If you didn’t have an opportunity to see it at Mystic Seaport or at the New Bedford Whaling Museum you can learn about the exhibition, titled Spectacle in Motion, and see videos on their websites:
Or you can enjoy the voyage via a digital story-map created by Michael Lapides and Christina Sewall–which is a really great way to learn about it too.
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Episode sponsored by:
People’s United Bank: https://www.peoples.com/
CTHumanities: https://cthumanities.org/
City of Bridgeport: https://www.bridgeportct.gov/
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Creators & Guests
Host
Writer
Adrienne Saint-Pierre
Adrienne Saint-Pierre is the Barnum Museum's Curator, a position she has held since 2010. During the 2020-2021 pandemic shut down she mined the contents of a huge copybook containing P. T. Barnum's early letters, writing weekly blog posts to share the intriguing stories they contain. Her 75 posts have been transformed into the podcast series, Becoming Barnum: The Journey to Fame and Fortune.
Producer
Kathy Maher
Kathleen Maher is the Executive Director of the Barnum Museum and has over 30 years of experience in museum work. She is a noted authority on Phineas Taylor Barnum and has developed numerous award-winning exhibitions and programs exploring 19th-century social and historical themes. Maher is known for her disaster recovery efforts, having saved the Barnum Museum from an EF1 tornado and both Hurricane Irene and Super Storm Sandy. Under her leadership, the Barnum Museum is focusing on new methods of audience engagement and is becoming a global model for disaster recovery and resilience. Maher has made appearances as a guest historian on various news and media outlets, including the History Channel, A&E, MSG, BBC, AHC, Travel Channel, PBS, NECN, CPTV, and NPR. She has also given a TEDx talk and has been featured in the NY Times, Hartford Courant, and Associated Press. Maher holds gubernatorial appointments to various cultural and historical organizations in Connecticut and was awarded the Tourism Leader of the Year in 2019.
Editor
Rui Pinho
Podcast editor for Becoming Barnum, with a strong background in media production and project management. He excels in creating engaging final cuts and has a proven track record of producing high-quality content across social media platforms. In addition to podcast editing, Rui is also an accomplished aerial photographer and videographer. His passion and expertise make him an invaluable asset to any project.
What is Becoming Barnum: The Journey to Fame and Fortune?
"Becoming Barnum: The Journey to Fame and Fortune" is a podcast presented by The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The podcast is based on the museum's award-winning blog series and explores the life of P.T. Barnum through a collection of 750-page copybook letters written by Barnum during his travels in Europe in the 1840s. The letters offer insights into Barnum as a husband, father, and businessman, as well as his mentorship of child actor-entertainer General Tom Thumb. The podcast explores the hardscrabble world of show business in the 19th century and offers a glimpse into the life and mind of the man behind the legend. Support for this project is provided by the City of Bridgeport, People’s United, and the Connecticut Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.
Join us on this journey through history and discover the real person behind the legendary "P.T. Barnum." Listen to our episodes and follow along as we uncover the fascinating story of Barnum's rise to fame and fortune.