In 1850, P. T. Barnum coaxed thirty-year-old Jenny Lind out of retirement for a grand tour of the United States. That tour, which earned Lind over $350,000, caused a popular sensation and exposed the potential force of the burgeoning American mass market. It also generated its share of souvenirs for her adoring public. Besides dozens of pieces of sheet music bearing her likeness, we also have a framed Daguerreotype of the Swedish songstress with a ticket to the June 20th, 1851, concert.
Even the abolitionist singing group, the Hutchinson Family, tried to cash in on her fame with their "Welcome to Jenny Lind." Sung "on the occasion of her visit to America," it was quickly issued as sheet music (Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1850).
To see the Daguerreotype and ticket, ask for
Iconography 292. To see "Welcome Jenny Lind," ask for
Sheet Music HF 73.
E. Lind, from Hopkinton, NH, was an established daguerreotypist in Saint Louis when he photographed Lind in March,1851 while she was performing five concerts in the city.
ReplyDeleteFor a daguerreotype portrait of of the Hutchinson Family, see:
http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/283176?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=hutchinson+family+singers&pos=1