New York Times advertisement offering "respectable colored persons" to enter and enjoy the museum for a limited time on one day.

For one morning only on March 1, 1849, Barnum allowed "respectable colored persons"
admittance to his museum . This announcement [see last paragraph] is the only evidence
of African Americans having visited the museum prior to the 1860's.
(New York Tribune, February, 27, 1849)