Hoaxes!
Hucksters!
& Artful Deceptions
A website devoted to the history and theory of playful acts of deception, illusion, and trickery in American literature, art and culture
So, What's May 7th?
If you're visiting this site, it's likely because you've encountered one of the many fliers, chalkings, twitter posts, and articles, asking the mysterious question "What's May 7th?" Yes, you were supposed to be confused...and curious.
This method of promoting our site was inspired by figures like P.T. Barnum who raised awareness about his exhibitions by sewing confusion and skepticism among his public. For instance, in one exhibit, Barnum presented audiences with Joice Heth, a woman who he claimed was "161 years old and a former nanny of George Washington." Barnum then created doubts about his own advertisements by planting anonymous newspaper articles claiming that the exhibit was a fraud and that Heth was "an elaborate automaton, made of whalebone and India rubber."
The confusion led to huge audiences. People came in droves not only to see Heth, but to witness the spectacle that ensued among the audience members themselves. Some wished to speculate on who or what Heth was; others watched to see who would be fooled by Barnum.
For more stories like this, please check out our gallery below!
"Is it a warning? A good tiding? A loner simply hoping the campus will recognize his or her birthday?"
--Excerpt from a recent
Alabamian article on "What's May 7th"
About the Site:
Playful acts of fakery and illusion have long been a central element of American culture. Before modern Bigfoot sightings, TV shows like "Ghost Hunters," and Las Vegas magic acts, audiences witnessed spectacles such as Roltair's grand illusions, William Mumler's "Spirit Photographs," Magic Lantern Shows, Mesmer's hypnosis, and Orson Welles' War of the Worlds. Some historians and critics have even argued that such "artful deceptions" were directly responsible for inspiring some of the most important works of American art and literature.
This site provides a space for the study of the history of this fascinating phenomenon on American history and its continuing importance today. The stories on the site were created by students in Alex Beringer's English 419/519 class at the University of Montevallo.
