Joice Heth

Early life Little is known of Heth's early years. In 1835, she was enslaved by John S. Bowling and exhibited in Louisville, Kentucky. Barnum started to exhibit her on August 10, 1835, at Niblo's Garden in New York City. As a 7-month traveling exhibit for Barnum, Heth told stories about "little George" and sang a hymn.

Historian Eric Lott claimed Heth earned the impresario $1,500 a week, a princely sum in that era . Barnum's career as a showman took off.

Promotion and public image After acquiring Heth in June 1835, P. T. Barnum expanded a promotional narrative already introduced by R. W. Lindsay, who had exhibited her as the childhood nurse of George Washington.

Barnum also promoted the exhibit through printed literature. A twelve-page pamphlet, The Life of Joice Heth, expanded the fabricated biography presented in his advertisements, claiming that Heth had been born in Madagascar, enslaved as a teenager, and later entered the Washington household. The pamphlet, believed to have been written by Barnum's assistant Levi Lyman, was sold to visitors as part of the exhibition.

During her performances, Heth recounted stories about the young George Washington, sang hymns, answered questions from visitors, and allowed audiences to examine her closely, reinforcing the impression that she was an authentic witness to the nation's founding.

The autopsy was performed by New York surgeon Dr. David L. Rogers, who concluded that Heth was about 80 years old, disproving claims that she had lived to the age of 161. Although the examination publicly challenged the central claim used to promote her exhibition, Barnum immediately asserted that Rogers had dissected the wrong body and insisted that Heth was still alive and touring Europe. He later acknowledged that this assertion had itself been a publicity stunt.

Historian Benjamin Reiss argues that Heth's exhibition continued after her death, with the public autopsy serving as its final stage. In his view, the medical examination of Heth's body became another theatrical performance, extending her commercial exploitation beyond death while blurring the boundaries between entertainment, scientific inquiry, and public spectacle.