Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
40 Photos Of Retro Circus Performers That Got People Saying ‘Damn, That’s Interesting’
Looking at historical photos is quite fascinating. Such images not only capture what life was like in earlier times but also show how drastically different things are now.
Whether it's fashion trends or urban landscapes, each vintage scene highlights the evolution of human civilization.Today, we've gathered fascinating snapshots of circus performers from the subreddit "r/Damnthatsinteresting". Many of us know about entertainers like acrobats and clowns, but these photos of retro artists share a glimpse into the world of old circuses.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Martin Couney Saved Over 7,000 Premature Babies By Exhibiting Them In Incubators In His Coney Island Sideshow. By 1943, Nearly Ever Hospital In America Had One Of His Incubators - And He Wasnt Even A Doctor!
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
From Wikipedia: "Couney was one of the first advocates for premature babies, and his Infantoriums have become widely accredited with saving the lives of over 6,500 premature babies. Couney is additionally recognised as one of the first pioneers of neonatological technology."
Upstaged75 1 year ago
There's a really great book (one of my favorites) that discusses the incubators and the lives of side show performers at Coney Island. It also includes the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire and the Dreamland amusement park fire. It's called The Museum of Extraordinary Things. You won't regret reading it!
Caessy Meschar 1 year ago
with this exhibition he saved hundreds of babies. the people's entry paid for the treatment of the babies. i don't care what he was, he saved many lives with it
Carla M- Miss C 1 year ago
I'm a 28 weeker born 1973, alive due to him. He started the technology that was further advanced by the time I was born.
Babs Ishkabibble 1 year ago
I can't be the only person who thinks the babies he's holding are - ahem - expired, am I?
David Paterson 1 year ago (edited)
If he was the one who fed oxygen into his incubators then he also blinded 12,000 premature babies around the world. But perhaps that was someone else. The timing matches, the first premature child known to be blinded by an incubator in the USA was detected in 1941. Source "Medicine's strangest cases" by O'Donnell. Chapter "an epidemic that the world forgot". It was worse than the Thalidomide disaster, which affected 8,000 children. Retrolental fibroplasia causing blindness affected at least 7,000 babies in the USA by the year 1953.
When people hear the word circus, they think of a spectacle filled with gravity-defying stunts, animals performing tricks, and colorful clowns. Back in the day, there was another act that was prominently part of these marquees.
Many traveling circuses in the 1800s and 1900s featured sideshows or freak shows. People with biological rarities were showcased in such events. Referred to as "freaks of nature" in popular culture, they had physical deformities such as excessive hair growth, additional limbs, unique tattoos, and missing body parts.
RELATED:
#2
Maud Wagner The First Professional Female Tattoo Artist, In 1904. (She Also Worked As A Tattooed Lady For The Circus)
primeline31 1 year ago (edited)
[In Groucho Marx's voice] Oh Lydia, oh, Lydia, say have you met Lydia, Oh, Lydia, the ta-attooed lady... She has eyes that folks adore so, And a torso even more so... Lydia, oh, Lydia, that encyclopedia, Oh, Lydia, the queen of them all... On her back is the Battle of Waterloo, Beside it the Wreck of the Hesperus too, And proudly above the waves The Red, White and Blue... You can learn a lot from Lydia!
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
"Lydia, oh Lydia, oh have you seen Lydia, oh Lydia the queen of tattoos." Groucho Marx
#3
In The 1910s, There Was An Austrian-American Circus Act Featuring Katie Sandwina, A Remarkable Strongwoman. One Of Her Notable Feats Was Lifting Her Husband Overhead
People saw these oddities as a way to make a quick buck as spectators would flock to see these humans with mutations. Sadly, they were treated as objects of interest and entertainment, shifting the stigmas held by people into curiosity. These carnival sideshows required a separate entry fee from the main circus.
In 1881, P.T. Barnum, known for his promotion of sensational attractions and hoaxes, joined hands with James Bailey to create the Barnum & Bailey Circus, often dubbed "The Greatest Show on Earth". The biggest sideshow was part of their circus as one of the chief attractions.
#4
After The Death Of Her Husband, Mary Ann Bevan Decided To Enter A Contest And Won "Ugliest Woman In The World" & Was Hired By A Circus. She Endured The Ridicule Of Others To Give Her Kids A Better Life
V.vi 1 year ago
The sad thing is, she used to be normal looking (even pretty) and then she got sick with a disease that made her face and feet swollen. She wasn't born this way and she used her condition and let people make fun of her so she can put food on the table. Sad really..
Ms.GB 1 year ago
She did it for her children, she should be remembered as a beautiful human being.
Load More Replies...
LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
This is horrifically sad. People can be so insanely cruel to others. It's even more heartbreaking when you learn that she suffered from acromegaly which is why her face, hands, and feet appear swollen.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Even with her condition, she was beautiful. She put her children's needs first and did what it took.
Load More Replies...
Missi Boness 1 year ago
Am I literally the only one who doesn't see her as being "ugly"?? Not glamorous, sure, but NOT ugly.
shankShaw deReemer 1 year ago
She was definitely beautiful, but seeing a picture of her kids, one of the girls has the long face like Mom does--at least it appears that way to me.
#5
Ella Harper Was Born With A Rare Condition That Caused Her Knees To Bend Backward. She Had To Walk On All Fours, Earning Her The Nickname “Camel Girl.” She Made A Fortune With A Weekly Wage Of $200 In 1886
Caessy Meschar 1 year ago
as bad as we think it is today, these people had a damn good income for the time. all of them, without the sideshows they would have had nothing and probably lived on the streets
Load More Replies...
RuffianLivesOn 1 year ago (edited)
Essentially extreme hyperextension of the knees. Fixable today with surgery and pt.
#6
A Circus Strongwomen Balances A Piano And A Pianist On Her Chest, 1920s
The Barnum and Bailey performers appeared in the center of a large tent, while a ‘lecturer’ walked around describing the unique characteristics of each person. As bizarre as this sounds, their popular entertainers included ‘Jo-Jo the Human Sky Terrier, whose long hair made him look like a dog’, Annie Jones, the Bearded Lady, among many others.
In the late 1800s, while touring in London, a group of 40 or so of these performers rightfully staged a labor strike. They demanded that the management of the Barnum and Bailey circus shouldn’t use the term freak for their show’s promotional items.
#7
1920's Circus Clown. Tim Burton Would Freak
ERMAHGERD DINOSAURS 1 year ago
Anyone else get Mrs. Doubtfire vibes in the first split second?
#8
Prince Randian, Also Known As The Living Torso, Was A Performer In American Sideshows In The 1930s. Born In British Guyana In 1871, Randian Was Known As The "Human Caterpillar" For His Ability To Crawl On His Belly
Lene 1 year ago
And I seem to have read that he had 4 kids with his wife. And in "freaks" where that photo is from, he strikes a match and lit his cigarette. So incredible!!!
Load More Replies...
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
That is extremely impressive!
Load More Replies... 
#9
Unzie Circassian Circa 1900. He Looked Like A Total Rockstar!
#10
1899, Two African-American Brothers With Albinism Were Forcibly Exploited As Performers In A Circus. In 1927 They Returned To Roanoke And George Recognized Their Mother, And Screamed, "Willie, She Is Not Dead"!
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
"George and Willie Muse were two brothers who grew up in Truevine, part of a sharecropping family that lived in a tobacco farming community near Roanoke, Virginia. The two brothers were both albinos, a feature that Willie claimed prompted a circus man to abduct the two children in 1899 while they worked in a field."
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
I can only hope the joy of being reunited helped them all.
#11
Circus Performer Jimmy Armstrong Having A Smoke Break. 1958
dawebell 6 months ago
Excellent observation.I had a play. Very sad photo. IMG_2429-6...e-jpeg.jpg 
Montanavanna 1 year ago
I love this photo but am not a fan of clowns. I am really drawn to this image!
Caessy Meschar 1 year ago
i am an absolute fan of white clowns all the others are not my thing. it's a pity that real clowning seems to have died out
Load More Replies...
#12
George Moore (The Living Skeleton) vs. Fred Howe (The Fat Man), Two Circus Performers, 1897
Pink kitty 1 year ago (edited)
I think George had hyperthyroidism. He was 6 foot 3. Fred was only 4 foot 2. He probably had hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormone was only synthesised in the early 1920's?
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Jack, this is an unkind thing to say. I hope you aren't as critical with your own patients (if I remember correctly, you are a nurse).
Load More Replies...
They held meetings to decide on a new name and even shared a strongly worded resolution: “That we, a majority of the living human curiosities at the Barnum and Bailey Show, emphatically protest against the application of the word ‘freak’ to us, and severely condemn its general assignment to those who, for their benefit or otherwise, were created differently from the human family as the latter exist today, and that, in the opinion of many, some of us are really the development of a higher type and are superior persons, inasmuch some of us are gifted with extraordinary attributes not apparent in ordinary beings.”
#13
Lucia Zarate, The Shortest Woman In History, Died Of Hypothermia When Her Circus Train Became Stranded In Snow In The Sierra Nevada Mountains In 1890
killjoy 1 year ago
Lucía Zárate was a Mexican entertainer with dwarfism who performed in sideshows. Zárate is the first person to have been identified with Majewski osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II. She was entered into the Guinness World Records as the "lightest recorded adult", weighing 4.7 pounds at the age of 17.
Ms.GB 1 year ago
I was fascinated by her as a child. I thought she looked like a living doll or a fairy.
Load More Replies...
Bettye McKee 1 year ago
Newborn babies weigh more than that. Wonder what her birth weight was.
#14
Krao Farini (1876 – 16 April 1926) Was An American Sideshow Performer, Who Was Born With Hypertrichosis And Took Part In 19th-Century Exhibition Tours In North America And Europe. (403x599)
#15
The Hilton Sisters: Violet (Left) & Daisy (Right). Conjoined Twins And Entertainers, Born In England During The Early 1900’s
Kira Okah 1 year ago
Their story is very tragic. They were purchased from their mother by her employer, Mary, who wanted to profit off their condition. They were very much slaves to her and her daughter (they were out and out bequeathed to Mary's daughter when Mary died), and were beaten and abused if they didn't follow orders. They managed to successfully sue the daughter and her husband and gain emancipation in 1931.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
There's a musical based on their life. It's called Side Show and it's fantastic. I highly recommend the cast recording - it has some incredibly beautiful performances!
The news of this revolt created a media frenzy across Britain. Articles were published on the ‘final awakening of personal pride in abnormal species of the human race’. A campaign was started to find a new name for them. Many suggestions like Anomalies, Peculiar People, Uniques or Unusuals were sent in from around the country.
#16
The Man With A Parasitic Twin Growing Out Of His Torso: The Life Of Circus Performer Jean Libbera
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Or it's a congenital abnormality that someone was born with.
Load More Replies... Michael Wlodarczyk 1 year ago
He inspired a character in the classic X-Files episode, "Humbug".
Upstaged75 1 year ago
I was just about to post that! I love the Humbug episode.
Load More Replies...
Blue 1 year ago
I'm wondering if the skull was intact and inside him, possibly causing internal problems? I have seen these images before, but always wondered the extent of any internal complications? Although, the bloke ovbs lived a fair while all the same... Did he do so comfortably? I mean, that's around where you're stomach is. I am genuinely very curious as to how he functioned
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
From Wikipedia: "Jacques had two arms, two legs, and a partially formed head embedded in Jean’s stomach, but reportedly depended entirely on Jean’s bodily functions to survive. Consequently, Jean had the burden of carrying his twin brother around with him his entire life. Still, despite his condition, Jean managed to lead a fairly normal existence. He got married, had four children, and lived to be about 50 years old."
Load More Replies...
Madeline 1 year ago
can he move the limbs? does he have feeling and sensation in the attatched twin? does the attatched twin move by itself???
RuffianLivesOn 1 year ago
Not sure how the twin would be able to move since it's not alive.
Load More Replies...
#17
"World’s Largest Woman And Smallest Man", July 1922. Nellie Blanche Lane, 642 Lbs., And Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, 2 Ft. 4 Inches Tall, One Of The Munchkins In 'Wizard Of Oz' (Who Was 9 Years Old)
RomanceRadish 1 year ago
If I read this correctly, Clarence was nine years old, which makes him a boy not a man.
Bread the Duck 1 year ago (edited)
Little munchkin :) EDIT: If he was exploited in any way, I don’t support that. I meant munchkin as a “smol child” AND the Wizard of Oz thing.
Java Addict 1 year ago
Because her weight was what made her 'biggest', not her height.
Load More Replies... #18
Francesco "Frank" Lentini (May 18, 1889 − September 21, 1966) Was A Sicilian-American Sideshow Performer. Born With A Parasitic Twin, Lentini Had Three Legs, Four Feet, And Two Sets Of Genitals
wordsupfool 1 year ago
Two sets of genitals. Thanks for the info. No, seriously. But- how were they shaped? Normal or what? Asking for two friends.
flower petals 1 year ago
If I remember correctly, there’s a man in India (who might still be alive) that was born with two thin penises next to each other.
Load More Replies... Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
I guess he always won the three legged race at the county fair.
ZuriLovesYou 1 year ago (edited)
Look, I know AI is taking over the world, but some people really do have outrageous medical conditions.
Load More Replies...The word ‘Prodigies’, which was suggested by Canon Albert Wilberforce of Westminster Abbey, was accepted after receiving 21 votes. Eleven people voted for the name Human Marvels and there was one vote each for the other 10 names. The Prodigies were happy with the new name and life returned to normal.
#19
Former Circus Performer Jakob Nacken (7,3”) Was The Tallest German Soldier Of Wwll, Here He Is Chatting With British Corporal Bob Roberts (5,3”) After Surrendering To Him Near Calais, France In 1944
featherytoad 1 year ago
Not necessarily. Maybe the name on is birth certificate is just, Bob.
Load More Replies...
Prince Lee 1 year ago
people see pictures like this and then don't belive me, I'm actually 7'4 due to medical reasons, Im far far from being the "tallest" even tho people say "oh if your over 7 ft then you would have a record" no no you don't......
#20
Circus Freak Shows Used To Include Exotic Dancers
They were called Circassian Beauties
They'd backcomb their hair to look more "exotic" & give an elaborate backstory about how they're former dancing girls from the haram of a wealthy sultan. That way the show would be plausibility "educational" enough to get around legal loopholes regarding nudity.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
One of my favorite books The Virgin Cure is about a "gypsy" girl from the streets of NYC who becomes a Circassian beauty for a side show museum. It's an incredible read!
#21
Stephan Bibrowski, Who Had Gorgeous Blonde Hair That Covered His Entire Body From Head To Toe, Was Born In Bielsk, Poland In 1890
However, despite receiving monetary benefits, these sideshows created some moral dilemmas for the performers. Many of them were manipulated and forced into the industry. Quite often, their backstories and conditions were exaggerated by the managers. They made them seem like outcasts just to draw in larger crowds.
#22
Johnny Eck, Actor & Freak Show Performer Who Was Born Without The Lower Half Of His Torso, Posing With His Brother Robert In 1922
Chrissie Anit 1 year ago (edited)
I have seen him starring in "Freaks". I just looked him up - he lived to be 79!
RuffianLivesOn 1 year ago
They were! They frequently performed together. Johnny was pretty successful even outside of the circus.
Load More Replies... Nitka Tsar 1 year ago
How…. Did he have a colon? And… other organs? How was this possible back then? Wow!
Kira Okah 1 year ago (edited)
His lower torso was truncated - shorter, not non-existent. His condition, sacral agenesis, can cause problems with the urinary system and rèctum, but everything is still there, including legs.
Load More Replies...
Brent Amador 1 year ago
Depending on how much of his lower torso was missing, how did he live? Like how did he go to the bathroom?
PanPan124 1 year ago
So… he is half a body? Interesting… really hope he loved as good of a life as he can
Kira Okah 1 year ago
He was born with sacral agenesis, so had a truncated torso and unusable legs. He lived a good life until a traumatic robbery in the late 80s drove him to seclusion.
Load More Replies...
#23
Photo Of Joseph Merrick (The Elephant Man) Circa 1889
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
"The Elephant Man" (1980) is one of the most poignant films I have ever seen. I highly recommend it.
Greg Wilhelm 1 year ago
I always think of the grooming kit he received in the movie. Touching moment to say the least.
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
Can someone help me think of the movie or show. There's a man with Proteus syndrome who would always sleep sitting up so he could breathe. And he was murdered by someone tipping him over in his sleep. He was found lying down dead the following day. I'm pretty sure it's fiction, but I can't remember what film/show it was.
Lavender 1 year ago
The movie was called "Breathe" and it is about Robin Cavendish's life.
Load More Replies...
#24
James Morris, “The Rubber Man”, Had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (Eds) And Could Stretch His Own Skin Up To 46 Centimeters (18 In) From His Body Without Any Pain. 1880's
With time, the popularity of such shows dwindled as more and more people questioned the obvious ethical and moral issues of making money off people’s physical adversity. Later, medical advancements provided explanations and diagnoses for different conditions, causing sideshows to lose that element of mystery.
However, the public’s perception has changed and such immoral and unethical acts aren’t acceptable in modern times. Social norms have shifted and activists are fighting to end such injustices. What are your thoughts on this? Have you heard about circus sideshows before?
#25
"Madam Gustika", Of An Ethiopian Tribe Where Stretched Lips Were A Cultural Norm, Became A Circus Attraction In New York. She Is Shown Smoking A Pipe During A Show In New York, April 12, 1930
Verena 1 year ago
Some cultural body modifications I can get: Holes in ears to hang decorations, tatoos. Piercings of lips and noses look impractical, but rarely affect the use of these body parts. But this ... why?
Ms.GB 1 year ago
Some people would look at western women with plastic bags in their chest and huge lips and ask that same question.
Load More Replies...
no adhesiveness 2020 1 year ago
IIRC it was done specifically to make the women less attractive to neighboring tribes, know to steal their women.
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
My parents used to keep national geographic magazines in a basket by the toilet and I always thought the women who elongated their necks with those gold chokers were so beautiful. Probably damaging to their health...
Bettye McKee 1 year ago
Kissing is out of the question, and I question how eating is possible.
MaximumKarmaSaint 1 year ago
I want to understand how you fit the thing to stretch your lips. How does it work? Does it hurt?
MarvinsMom 1 year ago
from what I very vaguely recall, they get it pierced around puberty and keep stretching it.
Load More Replies...
#26
Julia Pastrama, Or 'The Ugliest Women In The World' Had Her Body Stuffed Against Her Wishes After Death Along With That Of Her Stillborn Son By Her Own Husband So He Could Keep Making Money Off Her
Stryker Tyger 1 year ago
By a pineapple-toting demon who wishes to stuff it where the sun don't shine
Load More Replies...
Sivi 1 year ago
In 2013 she was finally sent back to Mexico to have her final resting place instead of a storage in norway. sad enough due to lack of care and some break in her son was somewhere in maybe 70-80s thrown away due to mice & rat damages though wikipedia says he is been lost. Kinda sad it took so long as already in the 90s a group wanted to have her be given a funeral.
Sage da therian 1 year ago
Oh my that poor woman. I know she's dead, but that is a horrible thing to do.
#27
Chang And Eng Bunker Were A Pair Of Conjoined Twins Born In Siam (Now Thailand) In 1811. They Found Work As Freak Show Performers Across The World, And Both Got Married And Had Children In America. Chang And Eng Popularized The Term “Siamese Twins”
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
From Wikipedia: "The brothers were born with Chinese ancestry in Siam (now known as Thailand) and were brought to the United States in 1829." "In 1839, after a decade of financial success, the twins quit touring and settled near Mount Airy, North Carolina. They became American citizens, bought slaves, married local sisters, and fathered 21 children, several of whom accompanied them when they resumed touring. Chang and Eng's respective families lived in separate houses, where the twins took alternating three-day stays. After the Civil War, they lost part of their wealth and their slaves. Eng died hours after Chang at the age of 62. An autopsy revealed that their livers were fused in the ligament connecting their sternums."
#28
Millie And Christine Mckoy Were African-American Pygopagus Conjoined Twins. They Traveled Throughout The World Performing Song And Dance Shows
They Went By The Stage Names "The United African Twins"[1]: 125 "The Carolina Twins", "The Two-Headed Nightingale" And "The Eighth Wonder Of The World".
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
From the Science Museum Group: "Chrissie Millie McKoy were sold three times between the ages of 6 months and 6 years. By 1856 they were owned by North Carolina merchant Joseph Pearson Smith, who purchased their family from the McKoys. Smith’s wife taught Chrissie Millie to read, write, speak five different languages, sing and play the piano to a high standard. They toured Europe and America, and were frequently billed as ‘The Two-Headed Nightingale’. In 1869 the twins issued their autobiography, History and Medical Description of the Two-Headed Girl. After a thirty-year career, they retired to North Carolina where a fire in 1909, left them in financial ruin. They died of tuberculosis in 1912."
#29
Thomas Wadhouse Was An English Circus Performer Who Lived In The 18th Century. He Was Most Famously Known For Having The World's Longest Nose, Which Measured 7.8 Inches (20 Cm) Long
T5n 1 year ago
Was this guy and ancestor of Raymond Luxury-Yacht(Pronounced like " Throat Warbler Mangrove")
T5n 1 year ago (edited)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyQvjKqXA0Y (I'm having trouble making it a proper link, soory)
Load More Replies... 
#30
P.t. Barnum With Charles Sherwood Stratton, Whom He Billed As General Tom Thumb, Circa 1850. Stratton Was The Most Popular Entertainer Of His Day, Socializing With Abraham Lincoln And Queen Victoria
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
I hate how that film glamourised Barnum. He was such a cruel bastãrd.
Load More Replies...
cal da trans emo rat (he/they) 1 year ago
he kinda sucked irl but the musical was good, kinda like pretty much everyone in Hamilton.
flower petals 1 year ago
Stratton looks a bit like Hasbulla, 21 year old social media star with dwarfism who’s connected to f.ex. MMA star Khabib.
#31
Isaac W. Sprague (May 21, 1841 - January 5, 1887) Was An Entertainer And Sideshow Performer, Billed As The Living Human Skeleton
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
From Wikipedia: "Although normal for most of his childhood, Sprague began irreversibly losing weight at age 12 after feeling ill after swimming.The weight loss continued throughout his life despite having a healthy appetite. His condition has been described by historians as extreme progressive muscular atrophy. This ultimately led to his death." "Sprague made attempts to stay away from the sideshow, but he could not escape financial distress. It is rumored that in addition to being financially responsible for his wife and their three sons, Sprague had a gambling problem. His condition also kept him from finding real work anywhere other than Barnum's, so he continued to tour off and on throughout the country and eventually overseas. By the age of 44, he was 5 feet and 6 inches (168 cm) tall with a weight of only 43 pounds (19.5 kg). Sprague's condition required him to be constantly taking in nutrients."
#32
Adrian And Fedor Jeftichew. At 16, Fedor Joined P.t. Barnum's Circus As Jo-Jo The Dog-Faced Boy
#33
Charles B. Tripp And Eli Bowen Riding A Tandem, 1890s.
Zaach 1 year ago (edited)
The movie "El Topo" (the mole) has a similar pair who were gunslingers - the one with arms rode on his brother using a special harness. If you have not seen El Topo, I highly recommend it - it is an amazingly bizarre movie. *edit*: considered the weirdest western ever made
John Dilligaf 1 year ago
From Wikipeadia: Tripp, born without arms, learned to use his legs and feet to perform everyday tasks. He was a skilled carpenter and calligrapher. He could write, shave and feed himself, paint, and work a camera with his feet. ................ Eli had a genetic disorder disorder called phocomelia. He had no legs, his feet were attached directly to his hips. He trained himself to be an expert acrobat doing tumbling, cartwheels, somersaults, and backflips. He was billed as the "The Handsomest Man in Showbiz"
Romy White 1 year ago
Doesn't look like team work to me.. only one guy is pedaling and the other is along for the ride
Sarah Fitzpatrick 1 year ago
One has no arms, the other no legs. Someone has to steer...
Load More Replies... #34
Conjoined Twins Rosa And Josepha Blažek With Rosa's Son, Franz [1910]
![Conjoined Twins Rosa And Josepha Blažek With Rosa's Son, Franz [1910]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PGRfSPLcjnZT8hVXcytG9jEf4uMSA5iAcrX9lsUX5n8-6645cabca0ea3__700.jpg "Conjoined Twins Rosa And Josepha Blažek With Rosa's Son, Franz [1910]")
Julie S 1 year ago
Ok I'm probably going to be downvoted for this but I really want to know what does the other twin do while one twin is having sex? Go to sleep, read a book? I'm just really curious. Sorry my mind is in the gutter.
SaneMinotaur 1 year ago
From what I've read on the subject, apparently the other twin just kinda 'zones out', or indeed reads a book, or even puts on headphones and listens to music or a podcast or something.
Load More Replies...
ZuriLovesYou 1 year ago
How does giving birth work? Are there two vaginas or do they share one? Having sex must be pretty awkward. One twin is getting it on while the other twin has to listen to all that. Do they share they labor pains? How do they use the bathroom? Do they have four legs?
#35
Annie Jones, A Bearded Woman Who Toured With P.t. Barnum As A Circus Attraction
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
From Wikipedia: "She toured with showman P. T. Barnum as a circus attraction. Whether the cause of her condition was hirsutism or an unrelated genetic condition that affects children of both sexes and continues into adult years is unknown. Many photographers, including Mathew Brady, took her portraits during her lifetime, which were widely distributed. As an adult, Jones became the country's top "bearded lady" and acted as a spokesperson for Barnum's "Freaks", a word she tried to abolish from the business. Jones married Richard Elliot in 1881, but divorced him in 1895 for her childhood sweetheart William Donovan, who died, leaving Jones a widow. In 1902, Jones died in Brooklyn of tuberculosis."
Ąåřţđęşịɠŋȿ 1 year ago
people eat this s**t up. Probably good thing too. Gave these folks a living, albeit less than dignified
#36
World’s Fattest Man In 1890 Was Large Enough To Be Considered A “Freak Show” In The Circus
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
I don't know where all the fat-shaming comments are coming from, but this is cruel.
Sue User 1 year ago
The sad reality is that so many people in USA are obese that it is considered an epidemic. The only reason it is not a pandemic is that other countries do not have such a high rate. I understand obesity is complex disease , but to just accept it and not try to treat/ cure the disease is weird to me.
Load More Replies...
featherytoad 1 year ago
My 600lb Life. I used to watch it. The stories are just sad. When they do lose some of the weight before their surgeries, I feel so happy for them.
Load More Replies... J Adams 1 year ago (edited)
Strange how people seem to (rightly) dislike fat shaming comments but on the monthly ‘funny’ pictures of random people taken from Instagram the comments are always full of jokes and rudeness. One of those funny looking people of Instagram will likely have seen many of those comments either here or elsewhere which obviously would affect them negatively, a person who is has been dead for 100 years can’t be upset by internet comments
#37
The “Wild Men Of Borneo” Were Underdeveloped Twins That Were Actually Sold To Circus By Their Own Mother - 1874 (More Info In The Comments)
ZuriLovesYou 1 year ago
Their own mother?! As if being sold like a f*cking animal wasn't bad enough. Just evil.
Terran 1 year ago
They've been born in England, but grew up in America on a farm. They were mentally disabled and about 100cm tall. Selling children sounds incredibly terrible to us today, but in the midst of the 19th century it wasn't uncommon for poor rural people to sell their children and often was necessary to secure the families long time survival. The twins ended up becoming quite rich.
Load More Replies...
Mammie 1 year ago
The twins story and the part about being born in Borneo was all fabricated by Barnum. One was born in England and his brother 2 yrs later in Ohio. The gist of the story is that they were dwarf brothers that were both very strong, both being able to lift over 300lb. And, they made a LOT of money for, of course, other people.
#38
Til About Alice Elizabeth Doherty Who Is The Only Known Person To Have Suffered From Hypertrichosis (Werewolf Syndrome) In The Us. She Was Exhibited As A Sideshow Attraction By Her Parents
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
From Wikipedia: "She was exhibited by her parents as a sideshow attraction from as early as the age of two. Later she was presented commercially by her mother and Professor Weller's One-Man Band throughout the Midwestern United States. She was consistently shown as a standalone exhibit in store front exhibitions. By the time she was five years old, her hair grew to about 5 inches (130 mm), eventually increasing to about 9 inches (230 mm) by the time she was a teenager. Doherty was never interested in entertainment, but continued to perform to support her family, anxiously awaiting retirement."
#39
Saartjie "Sarah" Baartman (1789 – 29 December 1815) Was The Most Famous Of At Least Two Khoikhoi Women Who Were Exhibited As Sideshow Attractions In 19th Century Europe Under The Name Hottentot Venus
DetriMentaL 1 year ago
Thank you for respectfully not posting as to one of the reasons as to why she was famous. She has been through enough and now resting peacefully in her home soil
Porribix 1 year ago
unfortunately due to your comment I had to then find out.
Load More Replies...
I’m.Gone.Guys.. 1 year ago
Hey, can you guys please explain, and i know that people are like saying its horrible, but i really would like to find out so i can also sympathize
Alex Boyd 1 year ago (edited)
She had unusual-looking buttocks-- large, and sticking out at the back. She was taken from her home in Africa and exhibited against her will, then when she died her remains were also displayed, including her preserved reproductive organs.
Load More Replies... #40
Showman P.t. Barnum’s “Figi (Fiji) Cannibals”, Bought By Barnum In 1870 To Be An Attraction In His Circus
Annik Perrot 1 year ago
I can (somewhat) understand people with physical deformities only finding employment (and possibly fame and wealth) in side-shows, but this is something else. There were "human zoos" where people brought (often without their consent) from different countries and cultures were exhibited like exotic animals, and treated as such. Several of the Paris "Expositions coloniales" in the late 18s and early 19s had such reconstituted "villages" populated with miserable people. Many died, very few ever got to go back where they had come from.
ZuriLovesYou 1 year ago (edited)
Disgusting. Edit: I feel like I have to specify that I'm not calling here people disgusting. I'm talking about how they were put on display like animals.
Load More Replies...
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
Do you mean since they are apparently cannibals?
Load More Replies... Add New Image
What do you think ?
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
I hope the Bored Pandas reading about these people will comment with courtesy and respect. I have worked all of my life as a psychologist with people of differing physical and mental abilities and characteristics, and have acquired a deep respect for people with all ranges of intelligence and physical characteristics. My respect for them has been shaped as much by the way they handle other "more normal" people and their reactions as by their intrinsic humanity.
The Bearded Viking 1 year ago (edited)
I fully support and concur with your statement, Multa Nocte. I too have work in a field most of my life with people deemed less fortunate than others - those with both physical and intellectual disabilities - and I will say, hand on heart, they have taught me as many different things over the years as I have had the privilege to teach them, not least of which is how to except and treat others as you wish to be treated yourself, how never to hold a grudge, how it's fine, even prudent, to question everything more than once and how to show platonic, unconditional love. I would nowhere near be the empathic and fully encompassing person I am today if it wasn't for working alongside these people that a lot of society are still ignorant and opposed to embracing as part of the kaleidoscope of human existence. I hope we see informative, respectful and normalizing comments also. We all bleed red.
Load More Replies...
Trillian 1 year ago
Most of these aren't performers or artists but people displayed in so called freak shows for people to stare at. They probably had not much of a choice making a living otherwise.
Ms.GB 1 year ago (edited)
Yeah I'm torn because it's incredibly exploiting and some of these people were treated as property but there were some of them that made a living this way and when these shows were shut down they were destitute. Many of them couldn't find any other work because society as you can imagine was much less accepting of people who were different and/or had disabilities.
Load More Replies...
Tamra 1 year ago
A history which was proudly and ignorantly continued by some within the comments section.
Load More Replies... Annik Perrot 1 year ago
Reminds me of Tod Browning's wonderful movie "Freaks" (1932), that tells the everyday life of à circus with side-show "freaks", their interactions with "normal" people, their feelings, love-affairs and tragedies. I recommend watching it, if you get the opportunity.
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
A number of the people listed above in this article were in this movie. It is a fascinating movie, I agree.
Load More Replies... 
Sky Render 1 year ago
It's always disconcerting to realize that, had I been born 100 years earlier than I was, I would all but assuredly have ended up suffering this same cruel fate...
Richard Rice 1 year ago
I was a friend of Sandy Allen, the world's tallest woman at 7' 7''. She worked for the Guinness Book of World Records touring their museums. She was kind and funny. Her motivation was to earn money for knee surgeries she needed.
BLONDTROBL 1 year ago
My mom was a professional dancer that would occasionally tour with a circus. She met and befriended many people working the sideshow circuit. The majority were treated well, and made good money. There's always exceptions.
Calum Mediera 1 year ago
Most of these people are people with disabilities or something that makes them different. They were exploited and used, by both employers and family members, for money. They were and are people. Please show them respect.
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
I hope the Bored Pandas reading about these people will comment with courtesy and respect. I have worked all of my life as a psychologist with people of differing physical and mental abilities and characteristics, and have acquired a deep respect for people with all ranges of intelligence and physical characteristics. My respect for them has been shaped as much by the way they handle other "more normal" people and their reactions as by their intrinsic humanity.
The Bearded Viking 1 year ago (edited)
I fully support and concur with your statement, Multa Nocte. I too have work in a field most of my life with people deemed less fortunate than others - those with both physical and intellectual disabilities - and I will say, hand on heart, they have taught me as many different things over the years as I have had the privilege to teach them, not least of which is how to except and treat others as you wish to be treated yourself, how never to hold a grudge, how it's fine, even prudent, to question everything more than once and how to show platonic, unconditional love. I would nowhere near be the empathic and fully encompassing person I am today if it wasn't for working alongside these people that a lot of society are still ignorant and opposed to embracing as part of the kaleidoscope of human existence. I hope we see informative, respectful and normalizing comments also. We all bleed red.
Load More Replies... Trillian 1 year ago
Most of these aren't performers or artists but people displayed in so called freak shows for people to stare at. They probably had not much of a choice making a living otherwise.
Ms.GB 1 year ago (edited)
Yeah I'm torn because it's incredibly exploiting and some of these people were treated as property but there were some of them that made a living this way and when these shows were shut down they were destitute. Many of them couldn't find any other work because society as you can imagine was much less accepting of people who were different and/or had disabilities.
Load More Replies... Tamra 1 year ago
A history which was proudly and ignorantly continued by some within the comments section.
Load More Replies... Annik Perrot 1 year ago
Reminds me of Tod Browning's wonderful movie "Freaks" (1932), that tells the everyday life of à circus with side-show "freaks", their interactions with "normal" people, their feelings, love-affairs and tragedies. I recommend watching it, if you get the opportunity.
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
A number of the people listed above in this article were in this movie. It is a fascinating movie, I agree.
Load More Replies... Sky Render 1 year ago
It's always disconcerting to realize that, had I been born 100 years earlier than I was, I would all but assuredly have ended up suffering this same cruel fate...
Richard Rice 1 year ago
I was a friend of Sandy Allen, the world's tallest woman at 7' 7''. She worked for the Guinness Book of World Records touring their museums. She was kind and funny. Her motivation was to earn money for knee surgeries she needed.
BLONDTROBL 1 year ago
My mom was a professional dancer that would occasionally tour with a circus. She met and befriended many people working the sideshow circuit. The majority were treated well, and made good money. There's always exceptions.
Calum Mediera 1 year ago
Most of these people are people with disabilities or something that makes them different. They were exploited and used, by both employers and family members, for money. They were and are people. Please show them respect.
Related on Bored Panda
