History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Part 26

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 992

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A visitor who astonished and delighted the Phila- delphians in 1802 was John Ranie, professor of leger- demain and ventriloqnism. The professor was a pres- tidigitateur, a mind-reader, and a ventriloquist, and the wonderful feats which he announced in his lengthy advertisements and faithfully performed were equal to anything that has since been attempted by our most famous modern wizards. His extraordinary success during a stay of several months justified his coming back the following year, when he gave per- formances at the Assembly-room, adjoining the new theatre. He was again in Philadelphia in 1810, and exhibited at the City Assembly room, in connection with Charles Ranie, or Rannie.

Returning to the minor shows of a miscellaneous character, we note, in 1800. "An exhibition of a Bartholomew Corsa & Co., in July, 1804, exhibited a collection of waxen figures " formed from the orig- inals," "of the same complexion, stature, dress, etc., of the personages whom they represent." There were twenty-six figures in this exhibition. In September there were thirty-four. The collection, which about this time had been removed from 106 Walnut Street, where first exhibited, to Dr. Franklin's mansion, in Franklin Court, was purchased by John Baptiste Justice & Co. Happy family, in a neat and warm room, formerly a Freemason's hall, at No. 61 Walnut Street, near the City Tavern." The "Invisible Woman," exhibited "in the house lately occupied by the Secretary of State, at No. 18 South Fifth Street. "A pygarg from Russia," exhibited at the Black-Horse Tavern, Market Street. "It has the likeness of the camel, bear, mule, goat, and the common bullock, and weighs eleven hundred-weight," said the advertise- ment, which went on to explain that this animal is At the Red Lion, Market Street, an African lion of spoken of in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter xiv., | large size was exhibited. But soon thereafter a rival

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beast was announced at Swann's riding-school : " The largest African lion that ever was seen in this city let out of his cage in a part of the school perfectly se- cure from the spectators, opposite Lombardy Gar- dens." A dancing horse was another attraction at Swann's.

Another Invisible Lady, " direct from Spain," in- vited the people to Vogdes' Assembly-room, while Mr. Smith, lately from Europe, announced " freaks of philosophy, ventriloquism, astronomy," etc., at Ques- net's ball-room, but many preferred to go and see the whale that had been caught in the Delaware. It was dead, and was kept on exhibition as long as the curi- ous could endure the stench arising from its decayed flesh. During the exhibition an arm-chair was placed in the capacious mouth of the monster, and it was considered a distinction to have occupied that seat for a few minutes. The bold adventurers who claimed this honor were never tempted to venture, Jonah-like, within the cavernous depths of the whale's throat. A series of exhibitions of animals followed. Two live porpoises, one nine feet and the other six feet long, were exhibited at the Black Horse Tavern in 1805, an elephant at the George in 1806. The fol- lowing year the learned African horse Spotec, which had a tail like an elephant, was exhibited at the Black Horse. This wonderful animal was represented to have a knowledge of arithmetic, and could add, subtract, and divide, tell the number of buttons on a coat, etc. At the same tavern there were exhibited that year two royal tigers from Surat, in Asia, and a living sea-dog, taken in the Delaware River, near Trenton. A live panther was shown at the sign of the Sorrel Horse, and in 1809 an exhibition of mon- keys that " danced on the tight-rope" was advertised at the Shepherdess Tavern, on Moyamensing road.

In the latter part of 1805, Christopher Winckel- back, "director of the Hall of the Liberal and Me- chanic Art Society at Basle, in Switzerland," brought to the city his optic glass, with views in Switzerland, original paintings, prints, drafts, images of alabaster, and a variety of machines of his own invention, among which were several water-works, etc .; and in 1807, J. H. Rauchner exhibited at No. 100 Chestnut Street some wax-work figures, prints and paintings. He also informed the public that "there is also a grand hand-organ for the use of visitors."

John Scudder, in the summer of 1808, exhibited at Auriol's ball-room, No. 64 South Fourth Street, a grand panorama of historical paintings, representing "The Battle of Bunker's Hill," "The Bombardment of Tripoli," " The Burning of the Frigate ' Philadel- phia' in the Harbor of Tripoli," "View of the Sports of India," and " A Correct Likeness of Brook Wat- son, Esq., whose leg was bitten off by a shark while he was bathing in the water at Havana, notwith- standing which he recovered, and lived to be chosen Lord Mayor of London."

" An astonishing female artist" was on exhibition

in the year 1809, at the Shakespeare Hotel, corner of Chestnut and Sixth Streets. This unfortunate creature, otherwise as perfectly formed as any woman, was born without any arms or legs, and it was an- nounced that " Nature has deprived this young lady of the use of all her limbs, to make amends as it were in the exercise of other faculties surpassing all human belief. She will paint elegant flowers and landscapes, mix colors, write, thread a needle, cut cloth or paper with the scissors held in her mouth, etc., etc."

This lady was Miss Sarah Rogers, the wonder of the time. Respectable and poor, she had no other means of livelihood than the exhibition of herself and her extraordinary performances, a means repug- nant to the modest female mind. She accepted this hard necessity with courage, and succeeded in earning a comfortable support, while enlisting the sympathy of all who saw her.

A "Moving Panorama, with a large number of people at their trades and in proper motion," was ex- hibited at Cook's building, South Third Street, shortly afterward.

"The American Dwarf, two feet eight inches high, and fifteen years old," was exhibited in full regi- mentals at Barnum's Shakespeare Hotel, northwest corner of Sixth and Chestnut Streets, in the latter part of the year.

A "New Museum" exhibited in 1809, at No. 136 Market Street, a " sea-tiger from Greenland," and a "living leopard." In 1811 the " Historical Gallery," at the corner of Seventh and Chestnut Streets, had as its principal wax figures "The Arrestation of Robes- pierre," "The Celebrated Charlotte Corday," and " The Execution of Louis XVI." In the same year Lewis Chiappi, proprietor of the Roman Museum, No. 135} Market Street, had on exhibition among other curiosities a wax figure of "Dicky" Folwell, printer, a well-known local character, already men- tioned in another chapter of this history. Chiappi had also figures in wax of Washington and Lord Cornwallis.

Dawson & Pardec, at the northwest corner of Sev- enth and Chestnut Streets, exhibited in January, 1811, " a band of elegant musicians, in wax-work, all of which will chime a number of tunes in unison, and accompanied by an elegant organ."

Zerah Colburn, the astonishing Vermont calculator, six years old, was exhibited in March at various places,-at Peale's Model Room, on Fifth Street, op- posite the City Library; at No. 96 South Second Street, and at the Merchants' Coffee-House. This unfortunate child's strange gift-he could solve readily complicated problems in arithmetic which would have cost the best accountants a considerable expenditure of time and thought-was exhibited by his father for the avowed purpose of raising a fund for his education. The elder Colburn did, in fact, take him to England, and put him to school there,

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HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA.

but he took him away before he was sixteen years old. Young Colburn's mathematical powers left him when he reached manhood. He tried various profes- sions, and became in time an actor, a teacher, a Meth- odist preacher, and a professor of languages and litera- ture. IIe died at the carly age of thirty-five years.

In February of the same year Miss Harvey, "the beautiful Albiness, the most astonishing phenomenon ever known," was exhibited at Earle's gallery. She was an Englishwoman by birth. The color of her eyes was said to be "a delicate red." Charles Wil- son Peale, then in his seventy-seventh year, painted her portrait. Miss Harvey was subsequently married at Charleston, S. C. She died in Havana in 1820.

During the spring Maffei exhibited at Washington Hall a puppet-show under the high-sounding title of " A Picturesque and Metamorphosis Theatre." The figures in this show were two feet high. Stanislaus Surin, afterward manager of Tivoli Garden, gave " philosophical experiments," in which he brought science to assist in his legerdemain tricks. East India jugglers exhibited the same year at Masonic Temple, and "a great natural curiosity, a living elephant," was to be seen in Arch Street.

At the beginning of the year 1813, D. Bowen and J. Kidder brought from Boston the Phoenix Museum, which they exhibited at the Shakspeare Rooms. The collection consisted principally of what were called panoramic views. Among them was " a correct rep- resentation of Market Street, from the old court-house to Centre Square." It was shown for a few months.

In the same year the patriotic Philadelphians were invited to see a panorama of the naval engagement between the United States frigate "Constitution" and the British frigate " Guerriere." The sketches, it was said, had been taken under the direction of Capts. Hull and Morris, and "the relative situation of the ships may therefore be depended upon as being cor- rect." The same subject was illustrated at a mechan- ical theatre, on Lombard Street, designated as the " Amusement Pittoresque Méchanique ;" here the two vessels went through the manœuvres of a naval fight, and the "Guerriere" was conquered by the "Consti- tution." These exhibitions commanded a good at- tendance.

The Columbian Museum of Wax Statuary was opened at No. 130 Chestnut Street on the 1st of No- vember, 1813. There were wax statues of Washing- ton, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Gen. Pike, Capts. Bainbridge, Decatur, and Hull, of the navy, and the emblematic representation of "The Tears of Colum- bia," representing a female figure weeping over the tomb of Capt. James Lawrence. This enterprise did not achieve sufficient success to warrant a long con- tinuance.

Minor shows continued to divide the attention of the sight-seers; the most successful being those which exhibited wild and rare animals.

which was exhibited in 1814, is worthy of mention. This magnificent animal was six years old, twenty hands high, and weighed two thousand seven hundred pounds. It was claimed to be "the largest horse ever produced in Europe or America." Columbus was bred in Pennsylvania. In November of the same year a whale nearly twenty-five feet long was caught in the Delaware, near Trenton, and was exhibited at Kensington. Dr. Lewis Chiappi, a skillful modeler in wax, made a model representation of this whale, with wax figures, the whole representing the way in which it was harpooned by Isaac Yard. John Smith, the dwarf, was exhibited at the same time. He had been reported to be dead, and he complained of the anonymous rival whose jealousy had thus stimulated him " to heap affliction upon bare eighteen inches of his fellow-man." A remarkable exhibition was made in 1813, by Mr. Mckenzie, in Harmony Court, of a carriage "which runs by its own power in a large room."

Day Francis, "the great juggler and magician," performed some wonderful feats at Masonic Hall, in 1816. In 1817, Le Sieur Blanchard, "known by the celebrated appellation, multum in parvo, and the as- tonisher of the world," exhibited his skill in jugglery at Masonic Hall, proving himself a formidable rival to the " Sieur Breslau" and Potter, who were exhibit- ing at Washington Hall. Yet none of these worthies could compare with the East India magician, Sena Sam, who visited Philadelphia in 1818. His feats were truly wonderful. A "mammoth child" arrived from Europe, and was exhibited in 1819. This infant prodigy was five years old, three feet seven inches high, three feet five inches around the body, twenty- five inches around the thigh, fifteen inches around the calf of the leg, and it weighed one hundred and thirty pounds.

In the same year the Mechanical Museum was opened at No. 202 South Front Street. There were some very curious mechanical figures in this collec- tion. At the end of the year James Griffith, who had been engaged at Peale's Museum, purchased the Me- chanical Museum. Among the curiosities which he added to the collection in 1820 were two self-moving machines, invented and constructed by Willard Fos- ter, of Vermont. In 1821, James Tilley gave some interesting exhibitions of fancy glass-blowing. His success was such as to justify bis making periodical visits to the city for some years afterward. Exhibi- tions of nitrous oxide, or exhilarating gas, were given that year at Washington Hall. Among the novelties in 1821 were two Esquimaux, "a male and a female," together with a dog, " half wolf and half fox, from the coast of Labrador." They gave some exhibitions of their skill in guiding a canoe on the Delaware River. J. L. Boquetn exhibited a mechanical theatre at the beginning of 1822. Four dogs acting as the motive-power of the machinery of a newly-invented Among the latter, the mammoth horse Columbus, grist-mill, which produced flour of a good quality,

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were shown at Bush Hill. But the great curiosity was the-

"wonderful Leviathan, nr Sea-Serpent, caught at Brown's Point, N. J. It was described as measuring thirty-two feet ten inches in length, and eighteen feet in circumference. This monster of the deep has two legs, with a uail projecting out of the palm of each foot about the size of a man's thumb-nail. It has two loug fins near the gills about four and a half feet long, and one large fin on the back about fonr feet long. Its tail is forked, the upper part about five feet and the under part three feet long. In each of the jaws there are six rows of small white teeth. The month is a phenomenon in nature, and difficult to describe. It has no bones, no heart, no toogne, no brain ; but had a very large liver, which produced abont for pounds of oil. It has five gille, each folding over the other. The skin is rough and of a leadish color, aod is preserved in good order and complete shape. When taken it had about two bush- els of lamprey eels adhering to its sides."

In 1823 more ventriloquism and legerdemain feats by Monsieur Perinor, physician and aeronaut, who also took portraits by a new process; the "celebrated picturesque theatre of Mr. Michael Muckle," exhibited by its new proprietor, Mr. Villivave; a handsome exhibition in Earle's gallery of a mechanical pano- rama representing an Italian village, with its inhabi- tants at their respective avocations, animals moving, etc. The figures were fifteen inches in height, and there were over one hundred of them in motion at the same time. This interesting piece of work continued attractive for several months.

In January, 1824, "a menagerie of twenty-one living animals, much the largest and most valuable collection ever in America," was exhibited at No. 272 Market Street.

In April "an Egyptian mummy, received from ancient Thebes, with its double sarcophagus, or coffin, curiously ornamented," was exhibited at Sully & Earle's gallery, opposite the State-House. It was re- ceived by the Boston Medical Society, and was ex- hibited for the benefit of the Massachusetts General Hospital. It was said to be the first mummy that had been brought to America.

About the same time there was on exhibition at No. 28 South Sixth Street "two ancient urns, or sarco- phagi, formerly used for containing the ashes of the deceased, according to the customs of those days, found in Rome, one hundred and fifty feet below the surface of the earth, in a vault."

himself seated upon a chair, both of which were fixed upon the rope and kept in equilibrium by the skill of the performer.

Minich was the clown. Adrian performed there, in March, in the character of a Greek juggler, and Monsieur Helene, the pandean performer, joined him in April. An Egyptian mummy was added to the treasures of the exhibition. The picture-gallery con- tained some large and showy pictures. Patrick Mc- Gee, the Irish giant, was exhibited at this museum in the summer and fall of 1824. He was represented to be nearly eight feet high, and was conspicuous for the masculine beauty of his form.

J. D. and H. I. Browere gave an interesting exhibi- tion of " the Grand Inquisition of Spain and Portu- gal, sixteen figures as large as life undergoing trials, tortures, and burning." The instruments of torture were said to be made from drawings of the originals previous to their destruction in 1812. A "female sea-monster," caught upon Elk River, was also exhib- ited. There were four American dwarfs exhibited that year,-Joseph M. Stevens, thirty-seven inches high, and three sisters, Hannah, Rebecca, and Abi- gail Hatch, born at Falmouth, Mass. These sisters were described as well-proportioned and possessing the manners of educated women. They were exem- plary in their piety and Christian devotion. Their ages were between twenty-five and forty years, and their heights between thirty-six and forty-two inches.

A rare set of Gobelin tapestry was exhibited at Earle & Sully's gallery about that time. This beau- tiful work had been made by order of the unfortu- nate queen Marie Antoinette to be presented to Gen. Lafayette. There were four large pieces, twelve by ten feet, and containing twelve figures, representing the four quarters of the globe, and twenty-four smaller pieces, for chair-covers, representing the arts and sciences. The whole was worth two thou- sand louis.

A very curious piece of mechanical work was an allegorical representation of the treaty of Ghent, made about that time on a large organ by Michael Muckle, in Philadelphia. The figures, which were quite numerous, " moved naturally, as if alive."

The Pennsylvania Museum was opened in this year Lawrence Astolfi, a confectioner and distiller, who had established himself in business at No. 136 Market Street, about the year 1810, concluded, in 1813, to add the management of a place of public resort to his mercantile operations. To this effect he opened a summer theatre at the Columbian Garden, on Market Street, between Thirteenth Street and Centre Square. The first season was inaugurated by the Manfredi Company with the pantomime of "The Imaginary Sick Man." Manfredi played the Clown in this piece, and was assisted by Miss Catharine, as Columbine, and in a new and spacious building No. 270 Market Street. The animals of a menagerie which had exhibited for some years previous occupied the lower floor and the yard. The upper stories were devoted to the display of curiosities, wax statuary, and a picture-gallery, with a place for performances. At this museum, in February, 1825, were engaged for six nights the Spanish dancers, Messrs. La Conta and Gonzalo, and Master Minich. La Conta danced the fisherman's hornpipe on the tight-rope, and performed the much more difficult exercise of saltation on the same rope | Messrs. Mestayer ( Harlequin), Lewis, Johu, Parzote, with a living boy tied on each foot. Gonzalo danced and Grindone. Robertson, the "antipodean" per- former, Jones, and Johnston joined the company a short time after ; and the old actor, Fennell, appeared on the tight-rope with wooden shoes. But his great performance was taking a collation from a table while

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one night in a recitation. This company brought ; which she took the public somewhat by surprise by out, for the first time in this country, the pantomimes appearing in the character of Hamlet. Mrs. H. A. Williams (afterwards Mrs. Maywood), who succeeded Mrs. Battersby, followed her predecessor's example by donning male attire and attempting the most un- feminine part of Richard III. of " Valeour and Emilia, or the Unfortunate Lovers," and " Le Marechal de Logis." After this first season Astolfi did not keep up his summer theatre for two years, although his garden was much frequented as a place of resort and refreshment. In 1816 it was again announced as a place of amusement. The opening took place on the 14th of June, with a grand illumi- nation by means of two thousand five hundred lamps. In September of that year, T. Robinson gave a grand concert at the Columbian. The singers were himself and Miss Monier. Wolfe played the clarionet and Robinson and Bracken blew the trumpets. In 1819, Mestayer gave theatrical performances there with a small company, consisting of himself and wife, their sons, John and Harry Mestayer, and Monsieur Dedus, sword-swallower.

On the 1st of July the Fishers and Drakes separated from the company and opened Vauxhall, thereby in- juring their old co-associates to some extent, without benefit to themselves, for their Vauxhall enterprise was short-lived, and proved a failure. The `Tivoli company had the rare generosity to give the disap- pointed seceders a benefit after Vauxhall had closed. Still more praiseworthy was the act of old Joseph Jefferson, of the Chestnut, usually so scrupulous in maintaining his dignity as a member of a first-class theatre company. Remembering that he owed to Palmer Fisher a debt of gratitude for assistance given him by the latter before he left England, he volun- teered his services for this occasion, and appeared as Kit Casey in "Town and Country," and Shelty in " The Highland Reel."

Stanislaus Surin, a professor of legerdemain, who had performed in the city during the previous year, succeeded Astolfi in the management of the Colum- bian Garden in 1820. He changed the name of the place to "Tivoli Garden," and gave there exhibi- In April, 1825, the Tivoli Garden Theatre was opened under the management of a Mr. Johns, who, however, only remained five or six weeks. A new company was formed, and the Tivoli Garden Theatre reopened on the 23d of May with " The Soldier's Daughter" and " The Mayor of Garrett." The com- pany at this time was composed of Charles S. Porter, Henry Eberle, Morrison, Hardy, Charles Webb, Henry, John Crouta, Jr., Sinclair, Lowrey, Mestayer, Mrs. Johns, Mrs. Mestayer, Miss Grier, and the Misses Eberle. Sinclair was blind. . He had origi- nally been a circus performer, but, losing his sight, could only be occasionally made use of in one or two parts. The actors generally joined to give him a benefit once in a season, on which occasion he usually played with painful naturalness the part of Darling, a blind man, in John Howard Payne's melodrama of " Adeline." In time Sinclair accumulated enough to enable him to set up a café and boarding-house op- posite the Bowery Theatre, New York, which was a favorite resort of theatrical people, and by the profits of which he was enabled to support himself. tions of jugglery, accompanied with songs by Mr. Scott and others. At the end of May a summer theatre was opened at the Tivoli with "The Purse" and "The Intrigue." The company consisted of Messrs. Thornton, King, Scott, Mestayer, Charles S. Porter, Bard, Simpson, Bloom, Klett, Laidly, Allen, Champion, and Godeau (tight-rope dancer), and Mes- dames Riddle, Still, Murray, Mestayer, Allen, Wil- liams (tight-rope dancer), and French. They per- formed farces and light pieces. In 1823, Villivave, the tight-rope performer, opened the Tivoli with "The Company of Five Nations," but did not re- main there very long. Louis Mestayer and Frederick Eberle took the Tivoli and fixed up a pretty little theatre there. John Crouta painted some of the scenes. The company consisted principally of the Mestayer and Eberle families, the former having two sons and two daughters, and the latter three sons and two daughters. Among the pieces brought out by them was " Modern Honor, or how to shun a Bul- let," which was written by Joseph Hutton, in ridicule of a duel which had lately taken place between Col. The Vauxhall Theatre, where the Fishers and Drakes made their unfortunate experiment in 1824, was a garden theatre, established in 1814. The estab- lishment occupied the whole block bounded by Wal- - nut, George [Sansom], Juniper, and Broad Streets, which was the property of Capt. John Dunlap. The theatre was erected at the northeast corner of Broad and Walnut Streets, and was used for various sorts of exhibitions. Vauxhall Garden was a favorite place for the display of fire-works and for balloon ascen- sions. On the evening of Sept. 8, 1819, a balloon ascension, which had been announced, thereby at- tracting a large number of spectators, was postponed for some reason unsatisfactory to the crowd. A dis- Duffy, of South Carolina, and Col. Cummings, of Georgia. The season of 1824 was opened in May, with a very strong company, recruited in part from Drake's Cincinnati company. Among them were young Samuel Drake and his wife,-a daughter of Palmer Fisher by a first marriage,-Palmer Fisher and his young and pretty wife, who was afterwards long known to the American stage as Mrs. E. N. Thayer, W. Jones, William Anderson and wife, John Green, Crampton, Carter and wife, and others. Still, the vocalist, played a star engagement, and appeared in "The Devil's Bridge," " Poor Soldier," and other pieces. Mrs. Battersby, from the Chestnut Street Theatre, also played an engagement, at the close of turbance ensued, which soon culminated into a regn-

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History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Part 26

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 992

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 992