Jonathan Harrington was a ventriloquist and illusionist in 19th century United States. He performed in Boston, Philadelphia, and elsewhere.

Biography

Harrington appeared in Boston in 1831, "astonishing Bostonians with ventriloquism at Concert Hall

Concert Hall (Boston, Massachusetts)

The Concert Hall was a performance and meeting space in Boston, Massachusetts, located at Hanover Street and Queen Street. Meetings, dinners, concerts, and other cultural events took place in the hall.-Architecture:...

."

In 1834, he performed at Boston's Federal Street Theatre

Federal Street Theatre

The Federal Street Theatre , also known as the Boston Theatre, was located at the corner of Federal and Franklin streets in Boston, Massachusetts. It was "the first building erected purposely for theatrical entertainments in the town of Boston."-History:The original building was designed by Charles...

. Around that time he is described as a "professor of ventriloquism and natural magic, the same gentleman who still continues to appear at different periods of the year in this and the surrounding cities, making short excursions, returning to his snug and quiet home at North Chelsea

Chelsea, Massachusetts

Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...

."

Harrington performed at the American Museum in Philadelphia 1836-1838, "with his automaton fortune teller."

In 1840 Harrington engaged in business maneuvers in Boston related to the dismantling of E.A. Greenwood

Ethan Allen Greenwood

Ethan Allen Greenwood was a lawyer, portrait painter, and entrepreneurial museum proprietor in Boston, Massachusetts in the early 19th century. He established the New England Museum in 1818.-Biography:...

's New-England Museum

New-England Museum (Boston)

The New-England Museum in Boston, Massachusetts was established at 76 Court Street by Ethan A. Greenwood, Peter B. Bazin, John Dwight and Samuel Jackson. It featured displays of fine art, natural history specimens, wax figures, and other curiosities...

 collection and of Moses Kimball

Moses Kimball

Moses Kimball was a U.S. politician and showman. Kimball was a close associate of P. T. Barnum, and public-spirited citizen of Boston, Massachusetts.-Biography:...

's interest therein. Accounts vary. According to one recollection, Harrington "established a museum in the rooms previously occupied as the New England Museum, on Court Street

Court Street (Boston, Massachusetts)

Court Street is located in the Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to 1788, it was called Prison Lane and then Queen Street . In the 19th century it extended beyond its current length, to Bowdoin Square. In the 1960s most of Court Street was demolished to make way for the...

, with the principal part of a Philadelphia museum. ...But failing to meet with a suitable support, [it] was sold by an auctioneer's hammer, at a great sacrifice, in 1842." Sculptor Thomas Ball

Thomas Ball (artist)

Thomas Ball was an American artist and musician. His work has had a marked influence on monumental art in the United States, especially in New England.-Life:...

, who knew the relevant parties, tells the story in his memoirs, and adds intrique and competition to the mix. He suggests that Harrington tried to outmaneuver Kimball, but in the end was unable to prevail.

In April, of 1843 his performance at the Lowell Museum

Lowell Museum

The "Lowell Museum", located in Lowell, Massachusetts, was founded by Moses Kimball in 1840, as an art exhibit hall and entertainment venue.-History:...

 in Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...

, and was advertised in the Lowell Courier newspaper promising:

"Mr. Harrington of Boston "The original, well-known, and justly celebrated Ventriloquist, and Professor of Ledgerdemain". Laughable, Comical, Quisical, Mysterious, Magical, Wonderful, Astonishing Experiments of Ventriloquism, Imitations, etc, etc, etc." Tickets admitting two persons were 25 cents and the performance began at 8 PM.

Harrington appeared again at Philadelphia's American Museum in 1845, "performing his illusions;" and at Boston's National Theatre

National Theatre (Boston, Massachusetts)

The National Theatre was a theatre in the West End of Boston, Massachusetts, in the mid-19th century. William Pelby established the enterprise in 1836, and presented productions of "original pieces, and the efforts of a well selected stock company, which, with few exceptions, have been American....

 in 1848.

Friends and associates included writer Sylvanus Cobb, Jr.

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr.

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr. was an American writer of popular fiction during the mid-19th century. His work was published in the New York Ledger, The Flag of Our Union, The Weekly Novelette, Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, and elsewhere.- Brief biography :Cobb was born in Waterville, Maine to...

.