In the 19th century, Phineas Taylor Barnum organized exhibitions showcasing the purportedly real mermaid known as “Feejee” in the United States and England. However, instead of possessing the traditional, enchanting beauty often associated with mermaids in fairy tales, Barnum’s mermaid had a grotesque and peculiar appearance.
Phineas Taylor Barnum, an American showman and entrepreneur, became a prominent figure in the 19th century by amassing considerable wealth through the exhibition of the Feejee mermaid.
To be specific, the mermaid displayed by Barnum was said to be the creation of an Englishman named Dr. J. Griffin (real name Levi Lyman). He claimed to have captured the mermaid near the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific in 1842.
Upon seeing this mysterious creature, Barnum persuaded Griffin to organize a one-week exhibition of the mermaid in Broadway, the United States. After the success of the initial exhibition, Barnum arranged a similar month-long event at the Barnum Museum.
Many people flocked to purchase tickets to witness firsthand what the mermaid looked like. This allowed Barnum to amass a significant fortune. However, rather than having the beautiful and enchanting appearance often associated with mermaids in fairy tales, Barnum’s Feejee mermaid had a grotesque and bizarre appearance. The Feejee mermaid had the upper body of a juvenile monkey and the lower body of a fish.
Numerous experts argue that the Feejee mermaid was not actually captured near the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific. Instead, they suggest that Barnum purchased the Feejee mermaid from someone else. Furthermore, it was not a real mermaid, as the mysterious creature displayed by Barnum was created as an artistic novelty by Japanese fishermen in the early 1800s.
For many years, the Feejee mermaid was predominantly exhibited in New York, the United States, and London, England.
Some claim that the Feejee mermaid might still exist and is currently on display at the Harvard Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. However, there is no definitive confirmation that this mermaid is genuinely Barnum’s Feejee mermaid.
