Comments on: The Circassian Beauty

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:16:15 +0000

Zalumma Agra was our grat grandmother’s stage name given to her by PT Barnum. A relative has a photograph of her in her attire as a Circassian Beauty. She was PT Barnum’s first Circassian Beauty. The family said that she had flaming red hair. On the back of the card are written what she claimed to be her real name, Johanna Nolan and slightly above and between her first and last name ia ‘Agra’. She also recorded that her parents were Michael Nolan and Mary Riley. While she was married to John M. (Murdoch)Bruce she gave birth to two sets of fraternal twins: John Henry Bruce (our grandfather) and his twin, Mary. No information is known about Mary.
John M.(Murdoch) Bruce and his twin Daisy (she died 8 months after birth and is buried in the Bruce Family plot at Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, PA. John M. was ‘kidnapped’ by his mother in 1899 (she was divorced from John M. (senior)sometime around 1885-86. He was not a nice person according to a niece of his who died last year at the age of 99.(approx.)This is written by Rachel’s Dad

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 05:47:45 +0000

That’s amazing. I’m actually writing my doctorate at Yale on the Circassian Beauties and I’m finding that some historical newspapers did list their real names, but mainly in wedding announcements, (even then, sometimes not). Do you know much more about your great great grandmother’s work with Barnum? I’d love to interview you for the book!

By: circassian

circassian — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:17:32 +0000

very good
you can see old circassian photos
http://www.circassiandiaspora.com/cdgaleri/thumbnails.php?album=15

By: Melissa Bellanta

Melissa Bellanta — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:33:54 +0000

Rachel, I’m afraid I haven’t done any primary research into Barnum’s records to be able to answer that question – Circassian women are something of a side interest for me, and I have only read about them in the history-books listed above… The Harry Ransom Research Centre at the University of Texas in Austin has some of Barnum’s original correspondence, however, so it may be worth contacting their staff with this question.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:41:24 +0000

My great great grandmother was billed by PT Barnum as The Star of the East and given the name,
Zalumma Agra. Are there any of Mr. Barnum’s records that would give her real name?

By: The good oil, & other things Circassian « The Vapour Trail

The good oil, & other things Circassian « The Vapour Trail — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:16:31 +0000

[...] April 2008 For anyone interested in Circassian Beauties, the subject of a post I wrote last week, this offering on the Virtual Dime Musuem adds a great postscript… Posted in Victorian [...]

By: Lidian

Lidian — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:55:41 +0000

Thank you. You know, I just found an ad in one of my old almanacs for “Circassian Hair Oil” – I might write aout it tomorrow on the Dime Museum (or in the Dime Museum, I suppose) and would like to link to your post. It inspired me to pick up on the hair oil ad, actually.

I quite like your blog name too – very evocative!

By: Melissa Bellanta

Melissa Bellanta — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:29:27 +0000

Ah, so you do kitchen kitsch as well as familial musings and historical mystery-hunts… Wish I had thought of ‘The Virtual Dime Museum’ as this blog’s name, by the way – wonderful.

By: Lidian

Lidian — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:13:22 +0000

This is fascinating – and that photograph is quite wonderful.

I seem to be logged on here in my WordPress incarnation, but I am also here (whence my offering for the History Canival) –

http://thevirtualdimemuseum.blogspot.com/