Piece of History: The touring chimp who had a bad cold

Consul, a chimpanzee who toured the country as “The Missing Link,” “The Scientific Wonder” and “The chimpanzee with a human brain,” was set to perform one week in January 1910 in his dress suit and silk hat at the Majestic Theatre in Cedar Rapids.

But Consul was too ill to perform at the almost sold-out show. He had traveled with his handler to Cedar Rapids from the Pacific coast and had a nasty cold. The audience could see the chimpanzee sneezing and coughing, with his eyes running, just like a human suffering from the same condition.

While the audience had hoped to see Consul eat his supper with a knife and fork, smoke a cigar, ride a bicycle, roller skate and unlace his shoes, they did cheer when he came out at the end of the show in his fur coat.

Several other acts filled in the time allotted for Consul — Berry & Berry in a “Laughable Musical Melange”; Al Lawrence, ”America's Greatest Humorist“; Finley-Crane Co. with ”Convulsing College Comedy“; Robert Leefers, ”Cedar Rapids' Popular Vocalist“; Flo Adler, ”Exceptional Clever Comedienne“; and The Da Comas ”Marvelous Novelty Artists.“

Tara Templeman is curator at The History Center. Comments: curator@historycenter.org