[Phineas Taylor Barnum, 1810-1891, bust portrait, facing right]

Share

Phineas Taylor Barnum, the showman who built one of the best-known circuses in America, appears here in a head-and-shoulders view turned to the right. The record gives his dates as 1810 to 1891 but no date for the print itself, and the genre note in the catalog is flagged as unverified, so it is best read as a portrait of a well-known public figure rather than a documented occasion. Barnum spent decades building museums, traveling shows and, later, the circus that bore his name, and portraits of him were widely reproduced in his lifetime to promote those enterprises. Notice the pose and framing, which follow the conventions of 19th-century portraiture meant for display.

More from the Historic Print Archive collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.