Item 116 is something of a biography of two men who traveled all the way to New York to display their native culture: What We Know About Waino and Plutano, Wild Men of Borneo with Poems Dedicated to Them. The Wild Men of Borneo traveled all the way from Connecticut. If they ever saw Borneo, it would have been as tourists. “Waino” and “Plutano” were actually Hiram and Barney Davis, mentally challenged very small (about 40” tall) men who grew up on a Connecticut farm. Despite their diminutive size, they were very strong. They performed amazing feats of strength, wrestling and lifting even heavy people from the audience. After years of local performances, P.T. Barnum discovered the brothers, gave them their Bornean ancestry, and entered them into his traveling circus. This pamphlet was printed around that time, 1880. They continued to appear until Hiram died in 1905, reportedly making quite a bit of money along the way. £450 (US $706).
Item 62 is described by Maggs as “an incredible survival.” It is a hymn composed for the first missionary voyage to Hawaii, then known as the Sandwich Islands. It was written by W.G. Conant on Christmas Day, 1819, thereby accounting for its title, A Christmas Hymn. The singing of this hymn is noted in the journal of the Thaddeus, the ship which brought the first group of missionaries to the islands. While the exact background of this broadside is uncertain, it may have come from the press of J. Seymour of Boston in 1821. £2,750 (US $4,318).
Maggs Bros. Ltd. may be reached at +44 (0)20 7493 7160 or travel@maggs.com. Their website is www.maggs.com.
