XVI: At Home explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Showmanship and Humbug

  Barnum's playful deer park sign joke with neighbor Johnson exemplifies his love of theatrical illusion and clever marketing.

• Family and Domestic Life

  Barnum relishes leisure time at Iranistan with family and friends, and describes these years as among the happiest of his life.

• Financial Wisdom and Economy

  Barnum secures a 25-year lease for the Museum, manages profitable partnerships, and humorously recounts his potato-selling mistakes in an agricultural address.

• Public Perception and Reputation

  Tom Thumb's transformation from a local boy to a polished, wealthy celebrity illustrates how training and travel shape public perception.

Characters to notice

• P. T. Barnum

  Returns home, renews Museum lease, manages Tom Thumb's return, opens Philadelphia Museum, engages in farming and local society.

• General Tom Thumb

  Returns from Europe with enhanced reputation; exhibits at the American Museum and in Bridgeport, donating proceeds to charity.

• Sherwood E. Stratton

  Father of General Tom Thumb; settles in Bridgeport with a fortune, builds a mansion, and arranges marriages for his daughters.

• Mr. James D. Johnson

  Neighbor of Barnum; becomes the unwitting subject of a joke involving a deer park sign, later known as 'Barnum's gamekeeper.'

• Mr. Francis W. Olmsted

  Deceased proprietor of the Museum building; his death prompts Barnum to seek a new lease.

• Moses Kimball

  Friend and joint purchaser of Peale's Museum collection; half goes to his Boston Museum.

• Mr. Clapp Spooner

  Purchaser of Barnum's Philadelphia Museum in 1851; the building later burns down.

Key passages

• “I count these two years—1848 and 1849—among the happiest of my life. I had enough to do in the management of my business, and yet I seemed to have plenty of leisure hours to pass with my family and friends in my beautiful home of Iranistan.”

  Barnum considers 1848 and 1849 the happiest years of his life, balancing business with quality time at home.

  Reflects Barnum's contentment with his domestic and professional life.

• “We never thought Charlie much of a phenomenon when he lived among us, but now that he has become 'Barnumized,' he is a rare curiosity.”

  A Bridgeport citizen remarks that Tom Thumb was unremarkable locally until Barnum's training made him a sensation.

  Highlights Barnum's skill in transforming ordinary people into celebrated attractions.

• “I 'acknowledged the corn,' and was much pleased with the joke. Johnson was delighted, and bragged considerably of having got ahead of Barnum.”

  Barnum good-naturedly accepted Johnson's prank with a sign claiming the deer park, but later turned the tables by adding 'Gamekeeper to P. T. Barnum.'

  Illustrates Barnum's playful rivalry and cleverness in public relations.