Historic Photo Gallery: Beginnings to 1849
1836
In January 1836 a juggler named Signor Vivalla was booked for a week. More
notable was his manager, 25-year-old P.T. Barnum (shown here), who was beginning
his career as a showman. Barnum demonstrated his flair for generating publicity
when he promoted a rivalry between Vivalla and a local juggler, issuing a $1,000
challenge to anyone who could duplicate Vivalla's tricks. The competition was a
huge success and went on to be repeated in other cities. (Photograph courtesy
of the Theatre Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia.)
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