(Kangaroo, Performing) | Jeff Davis, the educated Australian kangaroo

(Kangaroo, Performing) 

The Performing Kangaroo as It Appears in Dan. Rice’s Great Show. [Philadelphia]: O. Knirsch & Co., ca. 1858–1861

Lithographic broadside (335 x 230 mm). Full-page illustration of a kangaroo with the Australian landscape in the background, upper margin of image rounded; minor browning, long closed tear to upper right, other short closed tears, crease to lower margin. Matted, framed, and glazed with Plexiglas; not examined out of frame.  

Jeff Davis, the educated kangaroo

Rice (born Daniel McLaren in New York City) gained famed in the mid-nineteenth century as a clown figure, performing in numerous circuses. In addition to his clowning skills, Rice was a talented political humorist, strong man, and animal trainer. An apparent Renaissance man, Rice even ran for Senate, Congress, and President of the United States, eventually dropping out of each race.  

In an effort to leave his clowning behind and reinvent himself as a gentleman, Rice eventually began producing his own shows, a shift that coincided with his political ambitions. Soon, he was not only regarded as a talented and engaging performer, but also an intelligent and respected man. He counted Mark Twain and Walt Whitman as fans.

REFERENCE:

Exemplars, p. 259