Ticket: "M'lle Jenny Lind's Ninth Grand Concert Ticket"
1851 (Date manufactured/created)
Paper Documentary Artifact
3.25 in H
X
2 in W
Ticket for M'lle [Mademoiselle] Jenny Lind's Ninth Grand Concert, Monday May 26, [1851]. This ticket dates from Jenny Lind’s immensely successful American tour from 1850 to 1851. The ticket is printed in black ink on cream colored paper, probably toned by age. Unlike the usual ticket format on a small rectangle of cardstock, this is printed on lightweight paper, and so is more like a piece of stationery. Elaborate upper case letters near the center of the ticket spell the word PARQUETTE, which refers to the main floor seating area in the concert hall or theater. At the center of the ticket is a hand-penned ticket number, 832. A "Take Notice" text below the number explains the seating arrangements. Near the bottom is P.T. Barnum's signature, followed by the name and address of the printer, Van Norden & Amerman, Printers, 60 Wm. [William] St., [New York].
Lind arrived in New York City on September 11, 1850 for a year-long tour of North America. At the time, Lind was relatively unknown in the United States since few Americans were familiar with opera, but Barnum heavily promoted her in advance of her arrival, creating high demand for concert tickets, some of which were auctioned at very high prices. Manufacturers quickly capitalized on the public's adoration of Lind and produced innumerable consumer products bearing her likeness or name; the desire for all things "Jenny" was called "Lind-mania."
Lind arrived in New York City on September 11, 1850 for a year-long tour of North America. At the time, Lind was relatively unknown in the United States since few Americans were familiar with opera, but Barnum heavily promoted her in advance of her arrival, creating high demand for concert tickets, some of which were auctioned at very high prices. Manufacturers quickly capitalized on the public's adoration of Lind and produced innumerable consumer products bearing her likeness or name; the desire for all things "Jenny" was called "Lind-mania."
T 2014.022.001