Abstract
In 1892, Henry Garner, Confederate Army veteran, teacher, and real estate promoter, convinced the editor of McClure's Magazine to send him on an expedition to the southern coast of Gabon. Based upon observations he made in the Cincinnati Zoo, Garner had developed a theory that animals have their own languages. He believed that with patience, and the aid of one of Thomas Edison's wax-cylinder phonograph recorders, he could decipher the language of monkeys. In an effort to gather evidence for his theory, Garner went to Gabon for the first of what turned out to be a series of expeditions spanning a quarter century. Garner would become a celebrity in America, in part because of his articles and books on Gabon—but more likely because whenever he was back in the United States he would appear at social events with his chimpanzee. The chimpanzee never spoke with him in public, despite Garner's promises. While Garner attracted ridicule for his linguistic theories, he did achieve respectability by providing chimpanzees and gorillas for American zoos.
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