Dime museum

Dime museums were establishments that grew in popularity starting from 1870 that were used to display freak show performers, exhibitions, dioramas, and oddities to the general public.

Both John James Audubon and sculptor Hiram Powers produced displays for the Western Museum, organized by Dr Daniel Drake in 1818 and continued by Joseph Dorfeuille.

Barnum and Moses Kimball introduced the so-called "Edutainement", which was a moralistic education realized through sensational freak shows, theater and circus performances, and many other means of entertainment.

For many years in the basement of the Playland Arcade in Times Square in New York City, Hubert's Museum featured acts such as sword swallower Lady Estelene, Congo The Jungle Creep, a flea circus, a half-man half-woman, and magicians such as Earl "Presto" Johnson.

Later, in Times Square, mouse pitchman Tommy Laird opened a dime museum that featured Tisha Booty – "the Human Pin Cushion" – and several magicians, including Lou Lancaster, Criss Capehart, Dorothy Dietrich, Dick Brooks, and others.