Living in the 1760s in London, you may have asked yourself: Why not buy a "Remarkable Tame Panther" that you "may play with it as they may with a Dog"? Or a "SEA-MONSTER"? Or both? What could possibly go wrong with a panther and a sea-monster in your house? I have so many questions.
The panther and sea-monster, and lots of weird animals too, were sold from a man named Timothy Mills, bird and animal seller and menagerist, Haymarket, London.
The animal seller also offered a "Real Wild Man of the Wood", from Siberia, Russia. I wonder what this was all about?
You can almost hear the kids of the past standing in front of the shop in London, asking their parents: 'Can we have a parrot, a panther, a wild man, and a sea-monster, pleeeeeeeaaase?'.
"Jonathan, from my class, is having a sea-monster for his birthday! Can we have one too, daddy?"
And here is the handbill with the offered animals in the 1760s I am refering to:
"for ready Money only" it says. So have your money ready, and check this digital copy of the handbill printed in #earlymodern London:
www.britishmuseum.org/collection/o...
print; advertisement | British...#skystorians: enjoy this, and ask yourself if you would have bought a sea-monster or a wild man from Siberia (or both) for your home in the 1760s?
A bonus detail from the print: a 🦄. Maybe he was selling unicorns too?
There is the possibility that school teachers in 1760 London have heard these lines: “The sea-monster ate my homework”, and “The tame panther ate my homework”.
Also possible: “The Wild Man from Siberia made my homework”.
#eduskyOn a serious note, was this animal seller also offering humans (as slaves) next to birds?
Daniel Bellingradt
