Jumbo the elephant papers for Bonhams London auction
Published June 12th, 2006
Papers and items related to the controversial 1882 sale of Jumbo the elephant to American circus owner P.T. Barnum will be auctioned in London on June 27, auctioneers Bonhams say.
The collection belonged to Abraham Dee Bartlett, superintendent of London Zoo, who caused an outcry in Britain when he sold the country’s favourite pachyderm across the Atlantic.
It is expected to fetch up to $5,400 US.
The collection includes an 1881 letter to Bartlett, signed by Barnum, asking whether he could buy Jumbo and wondering how easy it would be to transport him to New York.
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