Print: "The Lancashire Bell Ringers," No. 4 in Barnum's Gallery of Wonders by Currier and Ives"
1850 – 1851 (Date manufactured/created)
Print of the Lancashire Bell Ringers, the fourth in a popular series by Currier & Ives called Barnum's Gallery of Wonders. The print dates to about 1850 or 1851 based on the information in the lower margin referring to P. T. Barnum's Philadelphia location, which he owned for a only short time.
Barnum had brought a group of handbell ringers to America in the 1840s, and though they were from the Yorkshire and Lancashire areas of England, he billed them as "Swiss Bell Ringers" to make them seem more unusual and "exotic" to the public. Barnum is credited with introducing handbells to America; the ringers' performances were a novelty and the sound was said to be mesmerizing. The bell ringers depicted in this print represents a later group, assembled mainly from a London church-bell ringing group called the Society of Royal Cumberland Youths.
The scene depicts five men wearing tailcoats, waistcoats, white shirts with bowties, and striped breeches, styles that resemble men's fashions of an earlier era. The men are shown gathered around a table on which are many handbells of different sizes. Each man also holds four handbells, the bells being assigned by size, as one bell ringer was the tenor, another the treble, and so on. Though not identified in the print, the names of the five men are likely Henry W. Haley, William Lobb, Edward W. Sawyer, James Hewett, and Harry Kent, the latter man being skilled as a handbell ringer rather than a church-bell ringer. Since the image of each man in the print is a distinct portrait, it may be possible to identify each one.
In 1850 Barnum brought the group to America for a year-long tour. In New York they performed at his American Museum, and then they traveled to Philadelphia, where a 3 1/4-hour performance of church-bell ringing at Christ Church attracted such a dense crowd surrounding the building that a plaque was later installed to commemorate the event on June 9th, 1850. Although the idea of bell-ringing music seems quaint in the present day, the bell ringers's performances were very well-received by the public in the 1800s, when there were no such things as recordings and radios that made the presence of music in daily life unremarkable. This hand-colored lithograph print includes a bright green carpet, with light red highlighting the drapery that frames the scene. The title at the bottom reads: THE LANCASHIRE BELL RINGERS / The most talented and wonderful band of the kind in the world / Performing under the auspices of P. T. BARNUM, Proprietor of AMERICAN and CHINESE MUSEUMS New York and BARNUM'S MUSEUM Philadelphia." The heading at the top reads: "BARNUM'S GALLERY OF WONDERS No. 4". The printer is not named, however Currier & Ives, a well-known print and publishing firm in New York, produced the Gallery of Wonders series.
Barnum's American Museum was located at the corner of Broadway and Ann Street in Lower Manhattan. Barnum acquired the museum in December of 1841 and owned it until it was destroyed by fire in 1865. He re-opened in a nearby location at 539-541 Broadway. The second museum was also destroyed by fire, in 1868. The displays in the museums ranged from dioramas of places such as Niagara Falls and the American plains, to various live and taxidermied animals including whales, hippopotami, and trained seals; wax figure tableaux; performers of all kinds; theatrical performances; automatons; inventions; scientific specimens; historical artifacts; and curiosities that were sometimes made curious only by the accompanying stories of their history or origin. Among the thousands of authentic artifacts gathered from around the world, Barnum also included what were then called humbugs, and invited the public to decide for themselves if these items were genuine or not. Barnum maintained that his humbugs were presented in fun and that people always received their money's worth at his museum, whereas hoaxes were more often created to trick people, sometimes cruelly so. Barnum often stated that his mission was to provide educational entertainment and amusements.
Barnum had brought a group of handbell ringers to America in the 1840s, and though they were from the Yorkshire and Lancashire areas of England, he billed them as "Swiss Bell Ringers" to make them seem more unusual and "exotic" to the public. Barnum is credited with introducing handbells to America; the ringers' performances were a novelty and the sound was said to be mesmerizing. The bell ringers depicted in this print represents a later group, assembled mainly from a London church-bell ringing group called the Society of Royal Cumberland Youths.
The scene depicts five men wearing tailcoats, waistcoats, white shirts with bowties, and striped breeches, styles that resemble men's fashions of an earlier era. The men are shown gathered around a table on which are many handbells of different sizes. Each man also holds four handbells, the bells being assigned by size, as one bell ringer was the tenor, another the treble, and so on. Though not identified in the print, the names of the five men are likely Henry W. Haley, William Lobb, Edward W. Sawyer, James Hewett, and Harry Kent, the latter man being skilled as a handbell ringer rather than a church-bell ringer. Since the image of each man in the print is a distinct portrait, it may be possible to identify each one.
In 1850 Barnum brought the group to America for a year-long tour. In New York they performed at his American Museum, and then they traveled to Philadelphia, where a 3 1/4-hour performance of church-bell ringing at Christ Church attracted such a dense crowd surrounding the building that a plaque was later installed to commemorate the event on June 9th, 1850. Although the idea of bell-ringing music seems quaint in the present day, the bell ringers's performances were very well-received by the public in the 1800s, when there were no such things as recordings and radios that made the presence of music in daily life unremarkable. This hand-colored lithograph print includes a bright green carpet, with light red highlighting the drapery that frames the scene. The title at the bottom reads: THE LANCASHIRE BELL RINGERS / The most talented and wonderful band of the kind in the world / Performing under the auspices of P. T. BARNUM, Proprietor of AMERICAN and CHINESE MUSEUMS New York and BARNUM'S MUSEUM Philadelphia." The heading at the top reads: "BARNUM'S GALLERY OF WONDERS No. 4". The printer is not named, however Currier & Ives, a well-known print and publishing firm in New York, produced the Gallery of Wonders series.
Barnum's American Museum was located at the corner of Broadway and Ann Street in Lower Manhattan. Barnum acquired the museum in December of 1841 and owned it until it was destroyed by fire in 1865. He re-opened in a nearby location at 539-541 Broadway. The second museum was also destroyed by fire, in 1868. The displays in the museums ranged from dioramas of places such as Niagara Falls and the American plains, to various live and taxidermied animals including whales, hippopotami, and trained seals; wax figure tableaux; performers of all kinds; theatrical performances; automatons; inventions; scientific specimens; historical artifacts; and curiosities that were sometimes made curious only by the accompanying stories of their history or origin. Among the thousands of authentic artifacts gathered from around the world, Barnum also included what were then called humbugs, and invited the public to decide for themselves if these items were genuine or not. Barnum maintained that his humbugs were presented in fun and that people always received their money's worth at his museum, whereas hoaxes were more often created to trick people, sometimes cruelly so. Barnum often stated that his mission was to provide educational entertainment and amusements.
T 2013.037.001