The 'Syrupofsquillhomantheum' 1861

[A.P. Wolf]

Anyone know what is going on 'ere?
From the classified columns of the 'New York Herald', October 5th 1861:

'Bryants' Minstrels - the celebrated wizard
Mons. HAIRMANHESTOPRESTODIGALATERIST
the seventh son of a seventh sister
the professor begs leave to announce that his
fantastic polocontological glasicutus will be
transmogrified into an
ANTIFIBIOUSRHINOCERIOUSOSORHORSE
or the
SYRUPOFSQUILLHOMANTHEUM
the Tinpadion, raw recruits, Dr. Tumblety'

[jmenges]

Hi AP,

This looks to be a playbill for a show, with Dr. Tumblety on the roster. Bryant's Minstrels were a famous blackface troupe in the 1850s-1860s. Their performances during the Civil War were stridently pro-Union. Their most famous song was 'Dixie', which I believe they wrote.

JM

[jmenges]

And AP,

Remember the song "The Carte-de-Visite Album" that mentioned Dr. Tumblety?

"The famous Doctor Tumblety,
The knight of pill and pestle,
Stuck in a corner there you'd see
Along with Madame Restell."

This same song also mentions Dan (Emmett) Bryant, leader of Bryant's Minstrels.

JM

[WRITEFX]

I was drawn to this post by the syrup of squill, something I used to take.

Yes, it does look like an advertising poster,like the olden day version of Monty Python.

[A.P. Wolf]

You got to be kidding me, JM?
You mean to say that several high ranking officers of Scotland Yard used to black up for the Minstrels; and then Tumblety too?
I always knew I would find connections but this one is a brandy too far.

[jmenges]

I would guess (and its just a guess) that Tumblety did not do blackface himself, but rather he was on a bill which headliners were the famous minstrels. He probably took to the stage at some point to do a medicine show demonstration.

JM

[Chris G.]

And AP,

Remember the song "The Carte-de-Visite Album" that mentioned Dr. Tumblety?

"The famous Doctor Tumblety,
The knight of pill and pestle,
Stuck in a corner there you'd see
Along with Madame Restell."

This same song also mentions Dan (Emmett) Bryant, leader of Bryant's Minstrels.

JM

For discussion of the Carte de Visite Album by Jeff Bloomfield and others:

http://www.casebook.org/forum/messages/4922/16324.html

Chris

[Kim Ross]

Hi. I've seen a History/Discovery Channel story about him being JTR. It was the theory of a copper from Northern England I think. Not a lot of substance. just another Jack wanna a be.

Bye:wof:

[Mike Covell]

It is always difficult when you find an intresting piece in an old newspaper from the period, but i think i have found the right thread to post it on,
The article appeared in the Hull Daily News, Monday 12th November 1888,

[A.P. Wolf]

Bloody hell, Mike, between us we have cracked the case!
It was a Black and White Minstrel wot did it!

Seriously though, it is all very bizzaro, and perhaps more important then we yet realise.
A good bit of sleuthing me thinks.

[Tim Riordan]

This ad lists Tumblety’s name because they were making fun of him. The next day, the Herald advertised Bryant’s minstrels would perform the burlesque “Tumblety Outdone.” They would perform the same again on October 12 and December 21. At the time of the earlier performances, Tumblety was in Baltimore. This is the same farce that was advertised in Washington in December 1861. It is interesting to note that Tony Pastor, who wrote the Carte-de-Visite Album song, worked for Bryant’s minstrels. He was the headliner at the Canterbury Music Hall in March 1862 when Tumblety filed his libel suit.

Tim

[A.P. Wolf]

Thanks Tim
actually it was quite a war of the classifieds these boys were waging against each other in the 'New York Herald' of 1861 with numerous ads appearing from Tumblety for his pimple banisher, whilst these boys ridiculed him in the ads and on the stage... day after day the battle raged.
One wonders whether they ever met in actual combat, as Tumblety's office was on Broadway, as was the theatre.

There is a very lengthy piece in the classifieds, written by Tumblety himself, concerning the Thomas Mullen case in Canada, with a court report and also a report from the 'Toronto Globe', which all make for a very interesting read, but the image is so large that I can't capture the report... so if anyone out there can manipulate the image and capture it for posting here I'll buy 'em a brandy.
New York Herald - April 15th 1857.