Jenny Lind

## The Greatest Showman

Soprano Jenny Lindby Eduard Magnus, 1862

**Jenny Lind** was a Swedish professional opera singer recruited by P. T. Barnum to help him make money for his circus.

Lind is portrayed by Rebecca Ferguson*.*

## Background

### Personality

Often seen moving quite elegantly, Lind is an established upper class citizen who is uses correct language and grammar while in conversation with others. She has a passion for singing and is has built a reputation for herself as the 'Swedish Nightingale' due to her beautiful voice.

Lind is a generous woman, donating majority of her money made from performances to charities.

However, she is also discovered to be a little sneaky, as when she discovers P. T. barnum doesn't feel the same that Jenny feels for him, she kisses him in front of the newspapers, leaving him in a sneaky situation. She later abandons the circus.

### Physical Appearance

As an upper class citizen, Lind is noticeably wealthy, often seen wearing extravagant gowns, jewellery and hair pieces.

## In History

Lind became famous after her performance in Der Freischütz in Sweden in 1838. Within a few years, she had suffered vocal damage, but the singing teacher Manuel García saved her voice. She was in great demand in opera roles throughout Sweden and northern Europe during the 1840s, and was closely associated with Felix Mendelssohn. After two acclaimed seasons in London, she announced her retirement from opera at the age of 29.

Learn about Lind and Barnum history here! [1]

In 1850, Lind went to America at the invitation of the showman P. T. Barnum. She gave 93 large-scale concerts for him and then continued to tour under her own management. She earned more than $350,000 from these concerts, donating the proceeds to charities, principally the endowment of free schools in Sweden. With her new husband, Otto Goldschmidt, she returned to Europe in 1852 where she had three children and gave occasional concerts over the next two decades, settling in England in 1855. From 1882, for some years, she was a professor of singing at the Royal College of Music in London.

## Appearance

### The Greatest Showman

Lind is first met by P. T. Barnum when the two were invited to meet Queen Victoria in England. Lind is somewhat charmed at the notion of P. T. Barnum's invitation to perform a tour of the United States, but agrees and she soon finds herself in New York with Barnum.

Barnum organises Lind's first performance in New York where she opens to a full audience. She performs her own song *Never Enough* and the crowd is blown away by her talent. Lind receives a standing ovation from the entire audience including theatre critic James Gordon Bennett.

Due to the success of her first show, Barnum begins planning the tour of the rest of the country.

While on tour, Lind performs show after show, becoming closer and closer with Barnum due to the amount of time they were spending together. Lind begins to develop feelings for Barnum and while in a hotel room between shows, Lind attempts to seduce him. She is upset when Barnum rejects her.

While on stage performing, Lind realises that she has fallen deeply in love with Barnum and him not feeling the same makes her break down (Never Enough (Reprise). Upon finishing the song and bowing with Barnum, in front of all the cameras, she turns to Barnum and kisses him on the lips.

Lind uses the kiss as her chance to say goodbye and continue her tour without him, as she knows he was returning home.

The photo of the two kissing is soon published in newspapers across the country and is soon found by Charity Barnum, impacting her and Barnum's relationship.