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PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM, 1885 Signed Cabinet Card

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Autographs

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Superb 1885 "P.T. Barnum" Signed & Dated Cabinet Card

PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM, (1810-1891), Famous American Showman, Legendary Entrepreneur and Promoter.
1885-Dated, original 4.25" x 6.5" Photographic Cabinet Card of Signed, "PT Barnum," Choice Near Mint. The studio photograph shows Barnum in profile and has been signed "PT Barnum" directly below his image, along with the added date "1885" below his signature. The photo displays exceptional clarity and sharpness, the mount, is from Betts Photography (Bridgeport, Connecticut) with their company stamp on the reverse. This is an exceptional quality, and very rare, Signed Cabinet Card of one of the most legendary and historic of all great American personalities.

P.T. Barnum was one of America's greatest showman and promoters, best remembered for his famous quip, "There's a sucker born every minute." Although most people today associate his name with the world renowned Barnum and Bailey Circus (which was formed in 1881), Barnum actually achieved his fame and fortune much earlier in life with the opening, in 1842, of his American Museum of Curios in New York City. It was at that venue that Barnum would amaze and astound his patrons with oddities and exhibits from the four corners of the globe including the famous Fiji Mermaid, General Tom Thumb and the original Siamese twins Chang and Eng. He eventually retired from show business in 1855, after which time he would serve as Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. A number of bad investments, however, forced him back into show business whereupon he reopened his museum and organized a circus, naming it the "The Greatest Show on Earth." In 1881 he combined his circus with that of his chief rival, James Bailey, thus creating the world-famous circus which continued for a generation after his death.

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