A Fake Mermaid, a Famous Showman, and the Art of the Hoax
In the summer of 1842, ten thousand pamphlets flooded New York City showing a beautiful mermaid from the South Pacific. The publicity said a British scientist had brought it from London. Crowds rushed to see it.
What they found was a small dried figure with a monkey-like face and a fish tail. Barnum had arranged the campaign; he had not made the object.
The mermaid was fake. The scientist was an actor. The newspaper stories were planted. Barnum later credited the publicity with helping his museum's business.
1842
P. T. Barnum leased a fake mermaid from Moses Kimball for $12.50 a week, invented a fake scientist named "Dr J. Griffin," planted stories in newspapers, and distributed 10,000 pamphlets showing a beautiful mermaid. The object was manufactured, but the original has not been securely identified for modern testing.
$6,000
Later histories report this price and the use of ship business funds. Exact financial outcomes need earlier records.
10,000
Distributed across New York City — every one showing a beautiful mermaid.
Uncertain
Several manufactured mermaids survive. Resemblance alone cannot establish which one Barnum displayed.
The Evidence
An Imagined Exhibition
An imagined display seen by visitors. The picture illustrates exhibition, not the anatomy, dimensions or surviving identity of Barnum’s object.
The Beautiful Lie
Barnum distributed 10,000 pamphlets showing a gorgeous, graceful mermaid — nothing like the shrivelled specimen. The pictures shaped expectations, but a visitor could come out of curiosity or doubt as well as belief.
"Dr J. Griffin"
Barnum's associate Levi Lyman posed as a British scientist, gave lectures, and declared the mermaid genuine. He was not a scientist. He was not British. The "British Lyceum of Natural History" did not exist.
How the Hoax Unfolded
The Creation
The specimen is manufactured by an unidentified maker. Barnum later associates it with Japanese curiosity-making; no precise creation year is established.
The Purchase
Captain Samuel Barrett Edes sees the mermaid in Batavia (Jakarta) and buys it for $6,000 using money from his ship's expense account. The purchase places a large business sum at risk.
The Showman
Edes' son sells the mermaid to Moses Kimball, who leases it to P. T. Barnum for $12.50 a week. Barnum begins his marketing campaign.
"Dr Griffin" Arrives
Levi Lyman checks into a New York hotel as "Dr J. Griffin," a British scientist. Barnum distributes 10,000 pamphlets. The mermaid goes on display at Concert Hall on Broadway.
The Exhibition
The mermaid moves to Barnum's American Museum. The exhibit attracts attention. Barnum later describes the publicity as a success; exact sales increases require business records.
The Fire
Barnum's American Museum burns to the ground. Whether the mermaid was inside remains a mystery. It may have already been returned to Kimball in Boston.
The People in This Story
P. T. Barnum
America's most famous showman. He invented a fake scientist, planted newspaper stories, printed misleading pamphlets, and turned an ugly dried specimen into the sensation of 1842.
Samuel Barrett Edes
A sea captain who spent $6,000 of his employer's money to buy the mermaid in Batavia. Accounts describe the specimen's exhibition in London. Barnum's later recollection disagrees with other histories about the Asian purchase location.
Levi Lyman
Barnum's associate who posed as "Dr J. Griffin," a distinguished British scientist. He gave lectures, spoke to reporters, and convinced the public the mermaid was genuine.
The Question That Remains
Barnum arranged a false expert and misleading publicity. Having another person deliver a claim does not remove the promoter's responsibility for it.
How could a museum display the same object honestly and still make visitors curious?
Read the full book to investigate the key clues and competing explanations — then decide for yourself.
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From fake fossils to trick photographs, we investigate the greatest hoaxes in history — and ask how clever people were fooled for so long.
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Check the evidence
What the evidence supports
Showmen displayed manufactured mermaids. Barnum’s own account describes hiring Kimball’s specimen in 1842 and using it to advertise his museum. Modern museums have examined separate assembled display objects.
Where to be careful
The maker and internal recipe of Barnum’s original specimen are not securely established. Horniman’s examined merman has shaped supports rather than a monkey skull; Harvard describes its object as one of several versions. Those findings cannot automatically identify Barnum’s object.
Explore the sources
These selected sources support this guide and offer further reading. Some are written for adults; explore them with a parent or teacher.
- P. T. Barnum: Struggles and Triumphs, author edition (1872), chapter VIII
- Horniman Conservation Team: Unmasking the Mysterious Merman (2012)
- Harvard Gazette: Feejee Mermaid Offers Haunting Tale at Harvard Museum (2017)
The story and illustrations are modern retellings. Imagined scene details are not historical evidence. These sources are a starting point, not citations for every narrative detail.
Evidence guide reviewed .