JOICE HETH

SINGER, PERFORMER, ACTRESS, OLDEST WOMAN ALIVE

Article by Jada Hampton

Sold Into Stardom

The story of Joice Heth begins unclearly, but her legacy is undeniable: she was believed to be the oldest woman who ever lived, or so some thought.

Some historians believe she was born around 1756, but one thing that is certain is that she was born into slavery.

Joice was sold time and time again until her Kentuckian owner sold her to a man by the name of Phineas Taylor Barnum- the later famous P.T Barnum.

Having tried his luck in newspaper publishing and boarding house management, Barnum purchased Joice for $3,000 and propelled her as a sideshow act.

The Spinning of a Tale

Even before Barnum took her to New York for her first miniature exhibition, Joice’s previous owner had created a whimsical tale about her life.

He claimed that she was born in 1674 and was a slave to George Washington’s father, Augustine Washington, and served as a nursemaid for the family.

These rumors went as far as to say she was the first woman to ever clothe the future president.

Her story hadn’t gotten her far before, but with Barnum, a mastermind salesman and exploiter, people started flocking to see the woman who allegedly “raised” their beloved first president.

They toured the United States and hosted exhibitions at a variety of venues including bars, museums, and taverns.

He made enough money from the exhibitions that he could afford to split the pay with the property owners and still make thousands of dollars in revenue.

However, Barnum did not give Joice much of a say in how she was viewed or showcased and did absolutely everything he could to profit from her though it is likely Joice never benefitted from the profits herself.

The Act

*Boston woman examines Heth for machinery*

Barnum invited dozens, even hundreds, of people to the exhibits and convinced them that Joice was merely a machine, inhuman.

He often pointed to her olden aesthetic as proof that she was past one-hundred and fifty years old, alleging that she was blind and that her eyeballs were sunken so much they would disappear.

In his autobiography, he is quoted as saying “she looked 1,000 years old”.

Though Barnum spun false, mostly insensitive tales of her, Joice played her role and convincingly retold her stories of “raising the president” as well as her “memories” of him while younger.

She often spoke and exaggerated the vernacular English attributed to slaves to sound more believable to her spectators, but doing so reinforced stereotypes surrounding African Americans at the time, including the claim that she was so old that she could sing any negro spiritual with deep and anecdotal emotion.

Despite the act, Joice was said to be a gifted vocalist with the ability to charm anyone in the room with her intellect and animation.

Families were incredibly entertained by the charade and adored Joice for her connection to a founding father, but behind the scenes Barnum was constantly pulling the strings.

The Heth Hoax

*P.T. Barnum broadside advertising Joice Heth*

Finally putting his marketing chaps to use, he continually played the press to get more exposure.

When sales were down, Barnum would often send anonymous articles to publications claiming that Joice was not human, that she was instead made of whale bone and that her skin was leather.

Others conspired with him and posed as surprised medical professionals verifying Joice’s incredible age.

According to Barnum’s whimsical tale of Joice, she was born in Madagascar and stolen from her parents at fifteen.

She was sold into slavery in Virginia and, by that time, was the mother of fifteen children.

She was sold again at the age of fifty-four at just thirty-three pounds.

She never took medicine, smoke tobacco frequently, and mostly ate a diet of tea and cornbread.

Her body was extremely frail and ghostly, her nails were inches long, and her toes were bone thick.

Yet all the while she is healthy, vibrant, and an excellent conversationalist.

This fabricated narrative of Joice was fed to the public and massively contributed to the success of the exhibition.

After Death

Unfortunately, much of Joice’s later life is undocumented.

It is believed she was married to a man named Peter and died in February of 1836, after he died.

Alas, others continued to profit from Joice after her death by offering the public a chance to see her autopsy performed for a fee.

Even in death, Joice had no control over her own body.

After the autopsy, it was believed that she was no older than eighty years of age, proving Barnum as conman.

He went as far as to craft a letter refuting that she was dead and claiming she was alive and well at his brother’s residence.

Some were outraged at Joice’s treatment, not so much because of her sovereignty as a black woman but only because they believed in her symbolic tie to George Washington.

Barnum’s embarrassment was known as “Heth Hoax” as he was exposed time and time again for his lies and manipulation.

The memory of Joice Heth is tied to P.T Barnum, but without her it is possible he would’ve never become the “greatest showman on Earth”.

Still, her warm smile, vibrant personality, and her ability to put on a show cannot be diminished.

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