The Mermaid, Now Exhibiting at the Turf Coffee House, St. James's Street
Exhibited at the Turf Coffeehouse in St. James's Street in 1822 as a "Remarkable Stuffed Mermaid," this mummy-like creature enclosed in a glass case had been purchased by a Boston sea captain, Samuel Barret Eads, for 6,000 dollars from a Dutch fisherman. In London, several hundred people a day paid a shilling to view it. By the early 1840s the object belonged to Moses Kimball, proprietor of the Boston Museum, who renamed it the "Feejee Mermaid" and partnered with P.T. Barnum for a series of displays in New York and other American cities. About three feet long, the creature was probably created in Japan early in the 19th century from elements derived from an ape and a fish.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Mermaid, Now Exhibiting at the Turf Coffee House, St. James's Street
- Artist: Isaac Robert Cruikshank (British, London 1789–1856 London)
- Publisher: John Fairburn (British, active 1789–1840)
- Date: October 24, 1822
- Medium: Hand-colored etching
- Dimensions: Sheet: 8 3/8 × 10 3/8 in. (21.3 × 26.4 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Adele S. Gollin, 1976
- Object Number: 1976.602.80
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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