Document: P.T. Barnum Letter Copybook, 1845 - 1846
Dixon's Letter Copy Book
P. T. Barnum (created by)
1845 – 1846 (Date manufactured/created)
Paper Documentary Artifact
Paper, ink
Bound volume of copied letters in P.T. Barnum's hand, dating from July 1845 to August 1846. This copy book dates to Barnum’s 1844-1847 tour of Europe, where he introduced his star performer, Charles S. Stratton (1838 -1883), better known by his stage name of General Tom Thumb, to European heads of state and the public. This volume contains a wealth of primary information dating to the most significant time period in Barnum's early career.
The letters date to a portion of the European tour, specifically Barnum’s and Stratton’s travels in France, following a highly successful year in England and Scotland, where Stratton had been granted multiple audiences with Queen Victoria. Barnum's letters contain anecdotes of the trip, and information about how he organized the performances at each location, how much he paid people for their services, the venues he rented, and so on. The range of correspondents is significant as it includes business associates, employees, friends, a competitor in Boston, and his wife, daughters, and uncle. Managed by Barnum, Stratton toured and performed throughout the British Isles and parts of Europe though he was child, aged six to nine years old during the course of the tour. At this time in Stratton’s life, he was about 24 inches tall, perfectly proportioned, and often billed as a “Man in Miniature.” This tour set the stage for both Barnum’s and Stratton’s highly successful careers as celebrities. Stratton’s engaging performances, energetic personality, and charisma captured the hearts of royalty and ordinary people alike. Coupled with Barnum’s skill as a promoter and marketer, the two quickly gained fame and wealth. The pair and their entourage, which included Charles' parents, a tutor, and others, returned to New York City and Barnum’s American Museum in February 1847. The professional relationship and friendship begun in these years continued until Stratton’s death in 1883.
The volume contains correspondence with both family and business associates. The content of the letters is varied: Barnum discusses business transactions and negotiations, as well as personal matters, and he records incidents and anecdotes, which were the basis for newspaper stories. His autobiographies also draw upon these anecdotes. Following the tabbed index pages at the front of the book, the copy pages begin with a partial letter, which indicates that Barnum had just finished up a similar copybook and was starting on another. That partial letter is identified as no. 68, but is undated since the first page is not included. The following letter is dated July 14, 1845, and is identified as letter no. 69.
The book contains 750 pages of thin, translucent paper that allow for the transfer of carbon or similar substance in order to copy the letter as it was being penned. The substance may be impregnated in the paper itself, not as a separate sheet of carbon paper inserted between the pages. The imprint is clean-lined, not blurry the way 20th century carbon copies usually look. The actual "imprint" of the handwriting is on the backside of each page, but because the paper is so thin, the words can be read from the front side. The cover includes a title plate, Dixon's Letter Copy Book, Dixon being a "brand" of copy book. An old but not original label on the cover refers to these letters as carbon copies. No sheets of carbon paper were found in the book.
The letters date to a portion of the European tour, specifically Barnum’s and Stratton’s travels in France, following a highly successful year in England and Scotland, where Stratton had been granted multiple audiences with Queen Victoria. Barnum's letters contain anecdotes of the trip, and information about how he organized the performances at each location, how much he paid people for their services, the venues he rented, and so on. The range of correspondents is significant as it includes business associates, employees, friends, a competitor in Boston, and his wife, daughters, and uncle. Managed by Barnum, Stratton toured and performed throughout the British Isles and parts of Europe though he was child, aged six to nine years old during the course of the tour. At this time in Stratton’s life, he was about 24 inches tall, perfectly proportioned, and often billed as a “Man in Miniature.” This tour set the stage for both Barnum’s and Stratton’s highly successful careers as celebrities. Stratton’s engaging performances, energetic personality, and charisma captured the hearts of royalty and ordinary people alike. Coupled with Barnum’s skill as a promoter and marketer, the two quickly gained fame and wealth. The pair and their entourage, which included Charles' parents, a tutor, and others, returned to New York City and Barnum’s American Museum in February 1847. The professional relationship and friendship begun in these years continued until Stratton’s death in 1883.
The volume contains correspondence with both family and business associates. The content of the letters is varied: Barnum discusses business transactions and negotiations, as well as personal matters, and he records incidents and anecdotes, which were the basis for newspaper stories. His autobiographies also draw upon these anecdotes. Following the tabbed index pages at the front of the book, the copy pages begin with a partial letter, which indicates that Barnum had just finished up a similar copybook and was starting on another. That partial letter is identified as no. 68, but is undated since the first page is not included. The following letter is dated July 14, 1845, and is identified as letter no. 69.
The book contains 750 pages of thin, translucent paper that allow for the transfer of carbon or similar substance in order to copy the letter as it was being penned. The substance may be impregnated in the paper itself, not as a separate sheet of carbon paper inserted between the pages. The imprint is clean-lined, not blurry the way 20th century carbon copies usually look. The actual "imprint" of the handwriting is on the backside of each page, but because the paper is so thin, the words can be read from the front side. The cover includes a title plate, Dixon's Letter Copy Book, Dixon being a "brand" of copy book. An old but not original label on the cover refers to these letters as carbon copies. No sheets of carbon paper were found in the book.
Gift of William P. and Susan Marshall
2004.002.001