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Barnum’s American Museum

From 1842 until its destruction in 1865, P. T. Barnum’s American Museum was one of New York City’s - and the nation’s - major attractions and helped define popular culture in the antebellum period. Contained within the museum’s five stories was a cornucopia of exhibitions offering visitors, in no particular order, information and entertainment, scientific knowledge and trumped-up fantasy, and moral lessons and cruel voyeurism. This puzzle presents examples of objects displayed asks which was not on exhibit at some time in Barnum’s American Museum.

 
Bird's-eye painted view of P.T. Barnum's American Museum, a multi-story building covered in banners and signage along a crowded 19th-century city street, flags flying from its rooftop.

Which one of these items was NOT on exhibit at some time in Barnum’s American Museum?

A yellow hanging picture frame rendered in a loose, hand-drawn cartoon style, with an empty gray center and a cord looped over a wall hook.1. A portrait of Daniel Boone
2. A wax figure of Jesus Christ A flying saucer with a glowing yellow dome, radiating orange light rays and leaving a dotted trail as it zooms diagonally across a white background.
Two small puffy white cloud-like steam or smoke shapes outlined in blue, set against a transparent background.3. A glass steam engine
4. The fattest baby in New York Cartoon illustration of a crawling baby in a diaper, rendered in a simple clip-art style with bold outlines.
A green mermaid with a fish tail reclines on her side, reading an open book.5. The “Feejee Mermaid”
6. Lincoln’s bloodied suit Red hand-drawn script signature reading "Lincoln" in a cursive, sketch-like style against a transparent background.
A small cartoon blue whale with a pink dot on its cheek, drawn in a simple pixelated, hand-sketched style with a thin black outline.7. A living whale
8. A dead whale A simple blue-and-white cartoon drawing of a dead whale lying on its side, belly up, with X marks over its closed eyes and small motion lines indicating stillness.
A startled man in top hat and tails stares up, leaning on a cane, beside an oversized empty wooden chair towering over him.9. The “Giantess”
10.A letter by George WashingonA rolled parchment scroll with the initials "G.W." inked on its surface, drawn in a simple hand-sketched line style.

 

Solution to this Puzzle

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