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Culture & the Arts

Niblo's Garden

As an educated and cultured upper-middle class woman in the 1840s and 1850s, Julia visited all of the popular cultural destinations of New York City such as Niblo's Garden, Castle Garden, Brougham’s Lyceum, Burton’s Theatre and the P.T. Barnum Museum.

“We went into the Chinese Museum and were much amused by the curiosities. Six Chinese people were the most attractive objects to me, two children, droll little mortals. The young lady of 17 was good looking, with small feet, and tottered when she ran around the rooms. Her attendant; good indian face, rather pleasant, [Chun] the father of the little ones, pleasant countenance, interpreter fine looking. We enjoyed our visit to these wondrous antiques, and left little Ching some pennies, which he prized highly.”

                                            Friday, May 10th, 1850