A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as “freaks of nature”. Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and conditions, and performances that are expected to be shocking to the viewers. Heavily tattooed or pierced people have sometimes been seen in freak shows, as have attention-getting physical performers such as fire-eating and sword-swallowing acts. (From Wikipedia)
More info: thehumanmarvels.com
Ella Harper The ”Camel” Girl
Was born with a very rare orthopedic condition that caused her knees to bend backwards, called congenital Genu Recurvatum.
Minnie Woolsey Koo-Koo the Bird Girl
Little is known about her early life, only that she was “rescued” from a mental asylum and was commonly billed as Minnie Ha Ha (a play on Minnehaha), in her sideshow entertainment career.
Fanny Mills “The Ohio Big Foot Girl,”
She had a disease called Milroy Disease which caused for legs and feet to become gigantic.
Frank Lentini
Lentini’s deformity was the result of a partially absorbed conjoined twin. The twin was attached to Frank Lentini’s body at the base of his spine and consisted of a pelvis bone, a rudimentary set of male genitalia and a full-sized leg extending from the right side of his body, with a small foot attached to this extra knee. It is recorded that Lentini had sixteen toes in total and two sets of functioning male sexual organs.
The Ovitz Family – A Family of Little People
The Ovitz family were a family of little people who made a living by touring Central Europe and performing in a traveling music troupe.
Myrtle Corbin – The Four-Legged Woman
The cruel irony about Myrtle Corbin being the four-legged woman is that of all four of her legs, she only had one good foot, thus she had trouble walking. The two extra limbs that could be seen sticking out from the bottom of her dresses didn’t actually belong to her – they belonged to her dipygus twin sister.
Grady Stiles Jr. – The Lobster Boy
The condition is known as ectrodactyly, but is often called “Lobster Claw” syndrome due to the unusual shape of the hands where the middle finger is missing and the hand is cleft. This syndrome is often genetic, and the Stiles family is one such family known to pass down the condition. Grady Stiles Sr. was already a sideshow attraction when his son, Grady Stiles Jr. was born. He brought the boy along and added him to the show at an early age.
Josephine Clofullia – Bearded Lady
She was born hairy and reputedly had a two-inch beard at the age of eight. At the age of fourteen she began to tour Europe, first accompanied by her father and an agent and then with her father alone. In Paris she met painter Fortune Clofullia and eventually married him. She also gained extra fame when she fashioned her beard in the imitation of that of Napoleon III. In return, the ruler gave her a large diamond.
James Morris – The Rubber Man
James Morris was born in Copenhagen New York in 1859 and used his unique talent to amuse friends and coworkers from a young age. His ability to stretch his skin as much as eighteen inches from his body, with no perceivable pain, made him incredible popular with officers when he joined the military. Those officers invited reporters and journalists to witness Morris’s unusual talent and from there Morris was recruited by several circuses, sideshow and dime museums. By 1885 he was world traveled and joined up with the Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Joseph Carey Merrick – The Elephant Man
Joseph Merrick was born on August 5, 1862 in Leicester to Mary Jane and Joseph Rockley Merrick. He had a younger brother and sister and was completely normal until the age of three.In an autobiographical note which appeared on the reverse side of his freak show pamphlet, Merrick noted that his deformity first manifested with small bumps appearing on the left side of his body. By the time he was 12, and his mother passed away, Joseph’s deformities were severe. When his father remarried, his stepmother expelled him from the house and young Joseph began struggling not only against his deformity, but starvation and homelessness as well.
Alice Elizabeth Doherty – The ‘Minnesota Woolly Girl
Alice Elizabeth Doherty – holds the unique distinction of being the only recorded American to be born with hypertrichosis lanuginosa. A condition exceedingly rare and unusual. Born with a mane of fine and silky blonde hair; she was an American Werewolf.
Edward Mordrake
(No actual photos exist)
Edward Mordake is said be have been heir to one of the noblest families in England.He was considered a bright and charming man – a scholar, a musician and a young man in possession of profound grace. He was said to be quite handsome when viewed from the front – yet, on the back of his head there was a second face, twisted and evil.
The Two-Headed Boy of Bengal
was born in the village of Mundul Gait in Bengal in May of 1783 into a poor farming family. His remarkable life was very nearly extinguished immediately after his delivery as a terrified midwife tried to destroy the infant by throwing him into a fire.Miraculously, while he was rather badly burned about the eye, ear and upper head, he managed to survive. His parents began to exhibit him in Calcutta, where he attracted a great deal of attention and earned the family a fair amount of money.
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