The Picture Gallery of the Barnum's American Museum. Illustration published in the Barnum's American Museum Illustrated, 1850. Source: Library of Congress.
This
historic the 5-story marble building, on the corner of Broadway and Ann
Street, was originally erected by 1830 and owned by the
John Scudder heirs. Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810–1891), acquired the building in
1841 and made it an entertainment venue. The iconic
structure was burned to the ground in 1865.
On ascending the stairs to the Picture Gallery (see on the right) some special oil paintings could be seen. A painting of Jenny Lind (1820-1887), a Swedish opera singer, was suspended from the wall. It was accompanied by a daguerreotype (a kind of early photograph) of Barnum and other attractions.
The Picture Gallery consisted of portraits of several personages, including Franklin, Governor Shelby, Bishop White, Daniel Boone, John Scudder, General Wilkinson and many others. There were also some colored prints on Indians, a bust of Franklin, a statue of Venue and a steel plate engraving of Queen Victoria, crowned and enthroned in Westminster Abbey.
The sculptures of Cupid and a Venus by Antonio Canova (1757-1822), a Italian Neoclassical sculptor, were exhibit in the room. Several curiosities were also shown, like a rock crystal weighing 112 pounds.
