Today's Treasure: Porcelain Dolls

Hundreds of porcelain dolls keep us company in the room that houses our nickelodeon collection. These finely crafted american treasures would delight collectors of all ages. 

Influential American: P.T. Barnum

Phineas Taylor Barnum is best known for his part in Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. 

An entreprenuer from the start, Barnum owned a newspaper in his Connecticut hometown before moving to New York where he quickly founded "Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theater." He purchased a museum which he used as a platform for performances from his variety act and for other human curiosities and oddities. Eventually, his museum housed America's first aquarium. 

       While ever adding to his list of attractions and oddities, Barnum was also a very productive politician, serving two terms in the Connecticut legislature, and eventually becoming mayor of Bridgeport, CT. 

      Barnum did not enter the travelling circus business until he was in his sixties. He started "P. T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome," a traveling circus, menagerie and museum. He later partnered with Bailey, creating Barnum and Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth." 

    At the American Treasure Tour there is a wonderland of circus memorabilia, artifacts from the circus and vintage advertisements from the show's heyday. 

Influential American: Samuel Goldwyn

Famed for his relentless ambition, bad temper and genius for publicity, Samuel Goldwyn became Hollywood's leading "independent" producer. Goldwyn was an American emigrant from Warsaw who found his way from New York's Garment district to Hollywood California. 

He produced 193 films, and was best known for his films, Guys and Dolls, Wurthering Heights, and The Best Years of Our Lives. Here is the full list of titles. 

Goldwyn died in 1974 at the age of 94.

Late 19th Century Music Boxes

Music Boxes?!?! These are a lot different than a modern music box with a twirling ballerina! The foremost one in the above image is also a clock made by Seth Thomas with a Regina music works, but the others pictured here are not timepieces-- just fabulous large style music boxes. Many of these were made in the 1870's.

Notice the ornate decoration and wood work on the cases! The large disc inside turns, and the perforated disc runs over a metal "comb" to play the music. Many of these machines were coin operated for commercial use in restaurants, taverns, and hotels.

In a time when machines this big were made just to play one song at a time, this item was a real innovation: an automatic three disc changer! Remember when the CD changer was the hottest thing since sliced bread? Can you imagine if each of your CDs was about 18 inches across and only played one song?