Barnum & London: Captain Paul Boyton
Maker
The Strobridge Lithographing Company
(American, 1867 – 1960)
Date1887
MediumInk on paper
Dimensions1 sheet (H): 30 x 39 in. (76.2 x 99.1 cm)
ClassificationsPosters
Credit LineGift of Howard and Janice Tibbals, 2021
Object numberht2004527
Paul Boyton (1848 — 1924), known as the Fearless Frogman, was a showman and adventurer featured in the 1887 Barnum & London Circus. An interest in life-saving devices led Boyton to the rubber suit invented by C. S. Merriman. Essentially a pair of rubber pants and shirt cinched tight at the waist, the suit contained air pockets which could be inflated to allow the wearer to float on his back, using a double-sided paddle to propel himself, feet-forward. Boyton made numerous expeditions up and down rivers across America and Europe to publicize the suit. He would tow a small boat with his supplies and a few personal possessions, and sometimes invited newspaper reporters to accompany him. He eventually returned to America and helped organize the U.S. Life-Saving Service, a precursor to the modern-day U.S. Coast Guard.
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