P. T. Barnum's Accomplishments

Phineas Taylor Barnum, or better known as "P. T." Barnum, described as a “jack of all trades” is an understatement. As a self-made businessman (or scammer), showman (or humbug), newspaper editor (or libeler), he lived a life of exhausted passion and success. He tells his own story in his autobiography, The Life of P.T. Barnum of living in 19th century America. P.T. Barnum’s optimistic and exuberant charisma certainly helped him make a profit, yet that alone did not gain him the title of a world-renowned showman. Barnum’s wildly successful business endeavors ultimately came from his genius (and possibly bizarre) advertising techniques, whether good or bad. Barnum used any means possible to get seats filled, even if the advertising he used called …show more content…
After this meeting, word of mouth spread across the country, all curious about how this talented boy met the monarch. “The British public were now fairly excited” about little Tom Thumb (261). He and his portrait were in the newspapers all over the country, which sparked additional interest. Barnum’s flamboyant personality mirrored his advertising when they went a tour of France and bought “several traveling carriages, including one covered wagon on springs, which carried the little General’s small Shetland ponies and miniature carriage,” (266). The tiny carriage enthralled city dwellers, and the whole nation was abuzz with Tom Thumb’s name. When the General toured American, his popularity was no different. Barnum and his entourage met presidents, traveled from city to city, and thus made him and the Thumb’s a huge profit. Barnum’s wild exaggerations, frivolous antics, awareness of the power of word of mouth, and newspaper’s influence caused Tom Thumb’s insane popularity across …show more content…
Barnum’s economical way of looking at life caused him to make even more money off of Lind. He advertised auctions for first tickets to her shows, an ostentatious way of showing wealth. The wealthy would buy tickets to the auction just to buy an actual ticket to the opera. They profited off of the auctions more than expected, and were a spectacle event all in itself, saying “the excitement was considerable and the bidding spirited, as was generally the case,” (335). The atmosphere around the auctions itself created enthusiasm about Lind’s shows and promoted her name and show even more. They were so successful that Barnum would repeat the auctions in multiple cities. Jenny Lind’s publicity encouraged Barnum to put on more shows, and thus followed a tour in Canada and Cuba. Her name echoed around the world, but again, without Barnum’s promotion of her talent, she would not have been a multi-continental