Wesley Jukes
Wesley L. Jukes (fl. 1870s–1880s) was a glassblower and mechanic who worked for P. T. Barnum.
Biography
[edit]Jukes was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and educated as a glassblower. Together with a Major Brunell, he founded museums in New Orleans and Indianapolis. He also manufactured automata for the circus of John Robinson.[1]
In 1870, Jukes was working at Wood's Museum in New York City, where he met P. T. Barnum. Barnum hired Jukes for $250 a week to manufacture and maintain automata for his museum. There, Jukes created mechanical figures including the Dying Zouave, the Magic Drummer, Sleeping Beauty, and the Lord's Last Supper.[2][3] Jukes also built many pipe organs for Barnum and others, sometimes with accompanying automaton bands.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Article clipped from Appleton Post". Appleton Post. 22 March 1900. p. 3. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Slout, William L. (1 December 2009). A Royal Coupling: The Historic Marriage of Barnum and Bailey. Wildside Press LLC. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-89370-013-3. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Stencell, A. W. (1 October 2002). Seeing Is Believing. ECW Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-55022-529-7.
- ^ Dahlinger, Fred (July 2000). "Mechanical Organs of the American Traveling Circus, Menagerie and Wild West" (PDF). Carousel Organ (4): 10–11. Retrieved 10 June 2025.