Textile: Winter coat belonging to P. T. Barnum
1885 – 1891 (Date manufactured/created)
Textile and Personal Artifact
Measurement Notes: CB length: 45"; across shoulders: 18 1/2"
P. T. Barnum's winter coat made of heavy black wool lined with dark brown sealskin fur. The 3/4-length coat dates to Barnum's elder years and was probably made in the late 1880s. The coat was said to be a favorite of his, perhaps because it was exceptionally warm and "windproof." Portrait photographs of Barnum taken in the late 1880s show him wearing a nearly identical coat, so it was clearly a preferred style. The coat is extremely heavy, as the sealskin is not only a decorative element trimming the collar and sleeve cuffs, but also lines the whole body of the coat. Sealskin fur--as well as a less expensive fabric made to imitate the dense, velvety brown fur--was highy fashionable in the 1880s, though few could afford the real thing The coat is double-breasted, featuring silk-covered buttons made in a checkerboard pattern. Braided piping is stitched along the front edge of the coat to form the closure, with intentional gaps in the stitching to secure the buttons. There are two pockets with flaps at the waistline, and a welt pocket at the breast on the wearer's left. The sleeves are slightly curved, following the natural posture of the arms when a gentleman is standing at ease with a walking stick in hand or holding his hat. Barnum's coat would have been custom made for him, an important and expensive item in his wardrobe because of the quality of the materials and fur, which conveyed his wealth and social standing.
Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 - April 7, 1891) is best known today for the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth, but his circus ventures did not come about until he was in his early 60s. Prior to that he was the proprietor of the American Museum in New York City from 1842 to 1868. His first circus, in the early 1870s, was called P. T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus. Barnum subsequently opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, competition from other circuses increased. A merger between Barnum’s show and the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the circus called Barnum and London. Barnum's partnership with James A. Bailey in 1887 formed Barnum & Bailey, which continued to be managed by Bailey after Barnum's death in 1891. After Bailey's death in 1906, the Ringling Brothers bought Barnum & Bailey and operated it separately from their own circus. In 1919 the two were combined to form Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. This circus gave its final performance on May 21, 2017.
Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 - April 7, 1891) is best known today for the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth, but his circus ventures did not come about until he was in his early 60s. Prior to that he was the proprietor of the American Museum in New York City from 1842 to 1868. His first circus, in the early 1870s, was called P. T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus. Barnum subsequently opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, competition from other circuses increased. A merger between Barnum’s show and the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the circus called Barnum and London. Barnum's partnership with James A. Bailey in 1887 formed Barnum & Bailey, which continued to be managed by Bailey after Barnum's death in 1891. After Bailey's death in 1906, the Ringling Brothers bought Barnum & Bailey and operated it separately from their own circus. In 1919 the two were combined to form Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. This circus gave its final performance on May 21, 2017.
1969.001.001