Equal billing with a dead whale trapped Ibrahim in a British sideshow

Evidence

His father, Crown Prince Ibrahim of Egypt, had been less fortunate. Visiting the manufactories and showrooms of Birmingham in June 1846, he insisted wearily to the press after his experiences elsewhere with the British public that ‘he should be regarded merely as a private gentleman’. But he was unable to escape becoming something of an exhibit. He went out for a stroll incognito one evening and slipped into a showtent to see on display the carcass of an enormous whale. He was recognised immediately by the showman, who began announcing to the crowd outside that ‘for the one price they could see on display the carcass of the whale, and the Great Warrior Ibrahim, Conqueror of the Turks, into the bargain’. The crowd rushed in, and the Crown Prince had to be rescued by the Birmingham police. — Timothy Mitchell, Colonising Egypt, 57

Categorization

• CANDY: An Egyptian crown prince slipping into a showtent and getting billed alongside a whale carcass is a perfect light, surprising anecdote.
• SHARE: Worth sending to anyone interested in world’s fairs, sideshows, or Victorian spectacle history.