60 Minute Presentations
#1 The Amazing Medicine Shows - Understanding Quackery, dangerous medicines and devices from the Victorian era to the early 20th century
Discover patent medicines and the HIDDEN INGREDIENTS
Discover STRANGE and DANGEROUS medicines
Discover strange devices, some which did absolutely nothing!
#2 The Oddities Show Discover facts about sideshow oddities, oddities museums and the amazing PT Barnum museums (mature audiences recommended)
Introduction to who the Barnum Museums of the 1800's and later sideshows had for attractions
Introduction to several of the famous "Oddities" who entertained the audiences at Barnum's two New York museums, with a peek into the Massachusetts Middleborough Historical Museum Tom Thumb collection
A glimpse of some items from private collections
Acquisition and display tips
How to find other intriguing objects to round out your cabinet of curiosities
#3 The Poisons and Cures Show -
Find out how some of the poisons were used in the past and how "cures" were sold, making SHOCKING amounts of money for the purveyors, from hundreds of years ago to the 18th century and the early 20th century
Who were some of the famous poisoners of the past?
What has been commonly used as poison?
What were some of the historic "cures" or poison "detectors"?
What was one of the worst BABY KILLERS sold for decades?
How have cures been sold?
What dangers did the cures have?
30 Minute Presentations
#1 Famous Oddities and Using Vintage Frames for Displays
See many of the famous ODDITIES who were a part of the P.T. Barnum museums of New York in the 1800's, and some from the early 1900's. Presentation shows how to use a vintage frame for displaying famous oddities.
#2 Strange and Dangerous Medicines
Discover many strange and dangerous medicines that were used in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Learn about the "Baby Killers" that existed before the Food and Drug Act of 1906!
#3 Bizarre Cures and Devices
Discover how "cures" were sold, making SHOCKING amounts of money for the purveyors, from hundreds of years ago to the 18th century and the early 20th century. Bizarre devices from the civil war to the early 1900's are sure to entertain!
Presentations can be tailored for your audience's interests