Eden Musée opened in 1884, and it served up amusements and exhibitions to New York City. In the basement was the Chamber of Horrors. Upstairs was a collection of paintings and a waxwork collection. And there was a theater for viewing motion pictures, magic lantern shows, and marionettes.
"The intention of the Musee was to create a Temple of Art. It was filled with tableaux of icy solitudes, the burning sun of Africa as well as figures of distinguished persons, rulers, artists and scientists of the time. The Musee stood on 23rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues for nearly thirty years before closing its doors for the last time in 1915 - a sign of changing times. The collection from the Musee was then moved to Coney Island before it was completely destroyed in a fire in February 1932."Online: Eden Musée on Wikipedia
I'm old enough to remember the later offshoots of "dime-museums" still operating in my "yoot" in California. Each boardwalk or pier in Southern California had at least one of these places. Eventually the curiosities and art went away and the "museums" turned into arcades.
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved to the Pacific Northwest The original "Ye Old Curiosity Shop" was a big draw in Seattle. I'm happy to say the two mummies are still on display in the Shops latest location.
Did they have automata? Or just marionettes? Automata are so fascinating. Our Ruben H Fleet Museum here in San Diego has some contemporary automata that are detailed, fresh and funny. It seems like they were more of a Victorian thing though, right?
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