Search This Blog

Monday, August 10, 2020

A Singer and a Circus Barker



What could a Swedish singer of classical music and a circus barker possibly have in common?

Music. Specifically, a two-year tour of the United States by The Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind, arranged and boisterously (and profitably) promoted by none other than Phineas T. Barnum.

From 1850-1852, Swedish singing phenom Jenny Lind toured the U.S. at Barnum’s invitation. She gave concerts from New York City to St. Louis, Missouri. And P.T. Barnum was the reason she came. She controlled the contracts, stipulating the number of concerts (150) and the amount she would be paid for each. In total, Barnum committed to pay $187,500 (approximately $5,762,000 today) before Lind and her entourage ever left England.

Lind's contract called for the total fee to be deposited in advance with the London banking house of Baring Brothers… To raise the money, Barnum sought loans from New York bankers, who refused to make the loans based on a percentage of the Lind tour, so Barnum mortgaged all his commercial and residential properties. Still slightly short, Barnum finally persuaded a Philadelphia minister, who thought that Lind would be a good influence on American morals, to lend him the final $5,000.”

But Barnum was not a master at promotion for nothing. Though few Americans had ever heard of Lind, Barnum's first press release set the tone of the promotion. "A visit from such a woman who regards her artistic powers as a gift from Heaven and who helps the afflicted and distressed will be a blessing to America." Using the 26 newspapermen on his payroll, he made Lind a household name before she ever sang a note on these shores. More than 30,000 people showed up at the piers in New York when her boat docked. And she didn’t sing a note.
Portrait by Matthew Brady, 1850

The tickets came dear. Barnum held auctions for them, at one point even requiring those interested to pay to get into the auctions. When she realized ho
w much money Barnum stood to make from the tour, Lind insisted on renegotiating their contract. The new agreement, signed on September 3, 1850, gave her the original $1,000 per concert they had originally agreed to, plus the remainder of each concert's profits after Barnum's $5,500 concert management fee was paid.

That still left Barnum with $5,500 from each of the 93 concerts she gave for him. That’s more than half a million dollars. He made back his investment and then some.

According to American poet Emily Dickinson, who was in the audience, Lind made $4,000 off one performance in Northampton, Massachusetts—after expenses. 

But, true to her nature, Lind gave her proceeds to her favored charities in Sweden and here in the U.S.—creating free schools in her homeland, supporting the building of a church in Chicago, and another that birthed the Lutheran Augustana Synod in Andover, Illinois. She also gave $5,000 (approximately $154,000 today) to her Swedish friend, Poly Von Schneidau, for a new camera for his Chicago studio, later used to create one of the earliest images of Abraham Lincoln.

Tracy Garrett

12 comments:

  1. I had heard of Jenny Lind, but I had no idea she was such a hard-headed businesswoman. Barnum was notorious, so she must have been an amazing negotiator. Great post. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I knew of the tour, but not the Barnum connection. And I found it when I was researching private train cars.

      Delete
  2. Great post. Loved the added history. Doris

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lind was so amazing, because her popularity swept the world without too much PR. Word of mouth make her into a queen. Amazing in a nation that had to get mail 3-4 months after sent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deborah, I agree. Barnum, through the power of the press, made Lind a household name before she ever sang a concert. the man knew his business.

      Delete
  4. Wow, I'd heard of Jenny Lind, but like Christine, had no idea she was such a canny businesswoman. And then to give to her charities - Kudos to her!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what she did with all her proceeds. She'd been establishing free schools in England long before she came here.

      Delete
  5. Thanks for your posts. I love learning about strong women in history, and I didn't know about the business side of Jenny Lind.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a remarkable woman! Not only was she extremely talented, but she had negotiating skills and a generous heart. I didn't know these amazing facts about the famous Jenny Lind. What a well researched post! You always have something unique and informative in your posts and I look forward to them.
    I wish you all the best, Tracy.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tracy,
    Jenny Lind was a remarkable woman. She was certainly ahead of her time, and she opened doors for women that had previously been closed. Another notable thing she did was use her money to the benefit of disadvantaged women. She was a jewel, for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I enjoyed your research on a woman I had only known about by name and singing reputation. Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete