Provenance: > Private collection, Paris Intended for fairgrounds and supposed to represent the mummified body of a mermaid, the first specimen of Mermaid from the Fijdi Islands comes from the imagination of the American entertainer Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891). His invention was reported for the very first time in the New York Sunday Herald on July 17, 1842 before being exhibited at the Concert Hall on Broadway and then at the American Museum in New York for several weeks. Until the end of the 19th century, the Sirens of the Fijdi Islands made headlines and inspired future science fiction writers. (Source: Peter Dance, Fake animals, scams and mystifications, Pierre Horay, Paris, 1978) - Weight: 10.00 kg - Shipping unavailable - Region: Oceanie - Sizes: H 450 mm x L 1500 mm - At first glance: normal wear / patina of use