Jim Key at the 1904 World's Fair

Beautiful Jim Key was a famous performing horse around the turn of the twentieth century.^[1]His promoters claimed that the horse could read and write, make change with money, do arithmetic for "numbers below thirty,"^[2] and cite Biblepassages "where the horse is mentioned."^[3] His trainer, "Dr." William Key, was a former slave, a self-trained veterinarian, and a patent medicine salesman.^[1] Key emphasized that he used only patience and kindness in teaching the horse, and never a whip.^[4]

The horse became a celebrity thanks to the progressive promotion of A. R. Rogers. The horse performed at large venues from Atlantic City to Chicago.^[1]