P. T. Barnum

ALS, one page, 5.75 x 9, illustrated Murray Mill Hotel (New York City) letterhead, May 7, 1890. Handwritten letter to Kate, ostensibly journalist Kate Field, in full: “What a showman you would have made! That interview is A No. 1. My advertising agent is directed to leave an order with your Washington Office for Twenty five dollars ($25) which will be paid when show reaches Washington. I am off for home — after seven months intense excitement. Au revoir.” In very good to fine condition, with splitting to the fold through the masthead.

In 1889, despite being in his late 70s, P. T. Barnum took the Barnum & Bailey Circus to London for a spectacular 14-week run that proved to be one of the crowning achievements of his career. With more than 400 performers, 380 horses, and 13 elephants, the show drew crowds of up to 30,000 a day, welcomed English royalty, and earned roughly $900,000—outshining even Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. That same year, Barnum began building his final home, Marina, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In the fall of 1890, Barnum suffered a stroke and was confined to his house. He remained involved in his business affairs until his death in April 1891.

Mary Field (1838–1896), known as 'Straws, Jr.,' was an American journalist, editor, lecturer, and actress. A bold and outspoken commentator, she took strong positions on issues ranging from temperance and immigration to dress reform and the Statue of Liberty. Writing from Washington, New York, and Europe, she became a respected critic of art and culture and later founded and published Kate Field’s Washington.