The first large museum in the country was founded in Philadelphia by the painter Charles Wilson Peale. This advertisement for the Boston Museum proudly states that it is the largest and best arranged in the United States. For the low admission price of 25 cents, a person could see exotic, grand exhibits and amusements. Tableaux (models set up to show a particular historical scene,) single wax figures, oil paintings, natural history and even theatrical entertainments were all on display.
Boston Museum ad from the Gazette and Courier newspaper. Greenfield Gazette and Courier, November 18, 1850. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l05-077/. Accessed on January 2, 2025.
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