Isaac A. Van Amburgh
[2] From the humble beginning of cage-cleaner in the Zoological Institute of New York, Van Amburgh quickly gained notoriety for his acts of daring, for example placing his bare arm and even head inside the jaws of a wild cat.
"[2] Despite the disapproval of some for his brutal treatment of animals, Van Amburgh remained very popular and successful, beginning his own menagerie which he took to Europe.
[1] Van Amburgh's early life, though atypical, proved to be of great training for his later adventures as "the Lion King."
According to Richard Horne in The Life of Van Amburgh, the Brute-Tamer: With Anecdotes of His Extraordinary Pupils, she dreamt that she walked into an old barn with rows of cooking kettles lined up.
Rather, he spent his time surrounded by roaches, mice, and rats, feeding them pieces of his dinner to attract and even train them.
Van Amburgh would investigate reports of destroyed or stolen crops and livestock and seek out the animal responsible.
They put Isaac in costume – a Roman toga, in reference to the gladiators of ancient Rome's Circus Maximus.
In the winter, Van Amburgh trained his wild animals in the barns of New York's upper Westchester and the lower Putnam counties.
Van Amburgh with his strong will bade them come to him while he reclined in the back of the cage – the proud King of animal creation.
Nathaniel Hawthorne described a menagerie he saw on September 4, 1828, near North Adams, Massachusetts: "A man put his arm and head into the lion's mouth, – all the spectators looking on so attentively that a breath could not be heard.
[6] On July 7, 1838, the New York Mirror also described how Van Amburgh's "fearless acts of placing his bare arm moist with blood, in the lion's mouth and thrusting his head into the distended jaws of the tiger" were watched with keen interest.
[6] In 1861, it was one of America's eleven big traveling shows.Van Amburgh had a structure to his shows that allowed his act to be easily transportable and sustainable, while also providing audience members with knowledge of what they were purchasing tickets to see.
A typical show for Isaac Van Amburgh featured several animals including tigers, leopards, lambs, and lions.
These venues were popular including the famous Drury Lane Theatre, in which Queen Victoria watched him perform.
[22] In 1839, Queen Victoria traveled six times in as many months solely to watch Van Amburgh perform at Drury Lane.
But after such special royal favor, Van Amburgh "became a figure that even the American upper crust could admit to appreciating.
[3][9] In costume, whether in loose-fitting jungle clothing or ancient Roman gladiatorial garb, Van Amburgh would bait the animals, attempting to evoke as much ferocity on their part as he could.
"His piece de resistance was forcing the lions to ... lick his boots as the ultimate sign of his conquest and the animals' abject subservience.
"[25] He is also well-remembered for having acted out a scene from the Bible by forcing a lion and a lamb to lie down together and even inviting a child from the audience into the den.
[3][25] In August 1838, the editor of the Age reported that "there have already been several cases in which lions have snapped off the heads of persons persisting in this sort of foolish experiment.
