Wesley Jukes
American glassblower (1870s–1880s)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wesley L. Jukes (fl. 1870s–1880s) was a glassblower and mechanic who worked for P. T. Barnum.
Biography
Jukes was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and trained as a glassblower. Together with a Major Brunell, he founded museums in New Orleans and Indianapolis. He also manufactured automata for the circus of John Robinson.[1]
In 1870, Jukes was working at Wood's Museum in New York City, where he met P. T. Barnum. Barnum hired Jukes for $250 a week to manufacture and maintain automata for his museum. There, Jukes created mechanical figures including the Dying Zouave, the Magic Drummer, Sleeping Beauty, and the Lord's Last Supper.[2][3] Jukes also built many pipe organs for Barnum and others, sometimes with accompanying automaton bands.[4]