Beautiful Jim Key
Encyclopedia
Beautiful Jim Key was a famous performing horse
around the turn of the twentieth century. His promoters claimed that the horse could read and write, make change, do arithmetic for "numbers below thirty," and cite Bible passages "where the horse is mentioned."
Beautiful Jim's trainer, "Dr." William Key, was a former slave, a self-trained veterinarian, and a patent medicine salesman. Key emphasized that he used only patience and kindness in teaching the horse, and never a whip. Beautiful Jim became a celebrity thanks to the aggressive promotion of A. R. Rogers. The horse performed at large venues from Atlantic City to Chicago.
in a special railroad car to promote the fledgling cause of the humane treatment of animals
. They performed in the best venues in most of the larger American cities, including New York’s Madison Square Garden
. The horse was among the most popular attractions at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
President William McKinley
saw Beautiful Jim Key perform at an exposition in Tennessee
and declared, “This is the most astonishing and entertaining exhibition I have ever witnessed.” The President also commented that it was an example of what “kindness and patience” could accomplish.
's American Humane Association.
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
around the turn of the twentieth century. His promoters claimed that the horse could read and write, make change, do arithmetic for "numbers below thirty," and cite Bible passages "where the horse is mentioned."
Beautiful Jim's trainer, "Dr." William Key, was a former slave, a self-trained veterinarian, and a patent medicine salesman. Key emphasized that he used only patience and kindness in teaching the horse, and never a whip. Beautiful Jim became a celebrity thanks to the aggressive promotion of A. R. Rogers. The horse performed at large venues from Atlantic City to Chicago.
Tours
Beautiful Jim Key and his trainer periodically toured the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in a special railroad car to promote the fledgling cause of the humane treatment of animals
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
. They performed in the best venues in most of the larger American cities, including New York’s Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. The horse was among the most popular attractions at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
saw Beautiful Jim Key perform at an exposition in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and declared, “This is the most astonishing and entertaining exhibition I have ever witnessed.” The President also commented that it was an example of what “kindness and patience” could accomplish.
Cruelty to Animals
The horse was made an honorary member of George Thorndike AngellGeorge Thorndike Angell
George Thorndike Angell was an American lawyer, philanthropist, and advocate for the humane treatment of animals....
's American Humane Association.
See Also
- Clever HansClever HansClever Hans was an Orlov Trotter horse that was claimed to have been able to perform arithmetic and other intellectual tasks....
- Lady WonderLady WonderLady Wonder was a horse that was purported to have psychic abilities. Over 150 thousand people came to consult the horse at the price of three questions for one dollar...
- BetsyBetsy (dog)"Betsy" is a black and white longhaired Border Collie, credited with being one of the world's most intelligent dogs.- Biography :Betsy lives in Vienna, Austria with her owner, who goes by the pseudonym "Schäfer" . Betsy is also a pseudonym given to her by animal cognition researchers...
, a border collie known to understand over 340 words - KokoKoko (gorilla)Koko is a female western lowland gorilla who, according to Francine "Penny" Patterson, is able to understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English....
, a gorillaGorillaGorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
who learned sign languageSign languageA sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's... - AlexAlex (parrot)Alex was an African Grey Parrot and the subject of a thirty-year experiment by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg, initially at the University of Arizona and later at Harvard University and Brandeis University. Pepperberg bought Alex in a regular pet shop when he was about one year old...
, an African Grey parrotAfrican Grey ParrotThe African Grey Parrot , also known as the Grey Parrot, is a medium-sized parrot found in the primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa. Experts regard it as one of the most intelligent birds. They feed primarily on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, but have been observed...
known for intelligent use of speech - Animal cognitionAnimal cognitionAnimal cognition is the title given to the study of the mental capacities of non-human animals. It has developed out of comparative psychology, but has also been strongly influenced by the approach of ethology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary psychology...
Links
- http://teva.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/jimkey.php (Documents about Beautiful Jim Key in the online version of Tennessee State Library and Archives, 403 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243)
- http://bridlepath.com/2007/01/28/equine-prodigies/ (“Equine Prodigies: Clever Hans, Lady Wonder, and Beautiful Jim Key”)
External links
- http://www.beautifuljimkey.com/ ("Beautiful Jim Key," official website.)
- http://www.horseforum.com/famous-horses/doc-key-beautiful-jim-key-23031/ (Article found at the blog Horseforum.com on "Doc Key and 'Beautiful Jim Key.'"
- http://horseandman.com/horse-stories/the-beautiful-jim-key-2/ (Article found at the blog Horse & Man on "Beautiful Jim Key.")
- http://atthefair.homestead.com/pkeatt/jimkey.html (Article on Jim Key, found on Lee Gaskin's "At The Fair: The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair" website.)