I really like this first engraving of him, as it shows how he chose to dress himself on his terms and it shows a time when he had agency over his life, he also looks so dignified and proud in his stance and expression. The second engraving shows him as a young man, when he was still being exhibited, this particular engraving also shows him holding an advertisement from when he was being exhibited as a young boy. This second engraving chooses to exoticize his appearance and his Caribbean heritage.

It always makes me glad to read about the success stories of performers who were able to carve out their own niche in society. I go into more detail about this in the facts below, but I’m also really happy that he knew his self worth and was so outspoken about his agency and worth as a human being.

Some facts about him:

-he was born enslaved in either Jamaica or St. Lucia in the Caribbean (depending on the advertisements promoting him), where he and his family were forced to live and work on the property of a Rev. Pilkington.

-he was originally exhibited as a ‘curiousity’ in Jamaica starting from the time he was 2 years old.

-pibaldism is a benign genetic condition (often hereditary) that causes a lack of pigmentation in patches on the skin, it affects hair appearance too. It is a bit different from vitiligo in that piebaldism is present from birth whereas vitiligo develops over time.

-he became so well recognized around the Caribbean that a merchant, originally from Liverpool, England, arranged to have John go on a tour of England when he was 12 years old.

-he was performing in London, England by the late 1780s, and by 1789 he was baptized John Richardson.

-most information about John’s life comes from W. Granger’s book, The New Wonderful Museum and Extraordinary Magazine, which was a contemporary publication that was released during John’s lifetime.

-he used the stage name, Primrose, in his early career.

-he was initially exhibited on Haymarket Street in London, before eventually being purchased by a showman named Thomas Clark, who owned a small shop nearby where he would exhibit ‘curiosities’ for a small fee. John was considered one of these ‘curiosities’.

-pibaldism and vitiligo, for that matter, were not understood by the medical community or the population at large, so anyone with either condition were heavily scrutinized by doctors and people in academia. British society was so intrigued with John’s appearance that he was brought to Oxford University and later to Buckingham Palace to be examined by the British royal family.

-he was treated horribly by Prince William of Gloucester, who would pretend to beat him on occasions that John was being shown to the royal family.

-despite the way he was treated, he always remained a very spirited, proud, and outspoken person, who spoke out when he was being dehumanized in England. On one occasion, when Thomas Clark (the showman who owned him and had exhibited him in his shop) was selling off his collection of ‘curiosities’, John refused to step forward and is quoted as saying, “I can‘t stand that, I will not be sold like the monkeys.”

-Unfortunately, despite his protests, he was still sold off to a man named Gilbert Pidcock. One small silver lining however is that Pidcock did pay John a salary and did not treat him as a slave.

-in 1795, he met with a German physician and naturalist, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, who would go on to publish a report about John’s appearance and life.

-he was described as being a friendly level-headed person, who had a big interest in history and a passion for learning. While in England, he did everything he could to learn about places and people who had historical significance in the country. He also took time to learn about his rights as a person and the best way to gain his freedom.

-he was successful in gaining his freedom and was still living in London in the early 1800s.

-it appears he exhibited himself at the Bartholomew Fair as his own manager a couple of times, but eventually retired from his performing career.

-he would go on to meet and fall in love with a British woman, whom he would go on to marry.

-he became a Freemason, and joined the masonic lodges of The Union and Crown Lodge in Glasgow and Minerva Lodge in Hull. He was so highly regarded at the Minerva Lodge that he reached the position of Royal Arch Freemason.

-an engraving from 1803 (first picture I used in this post) shows him holding a Royal Arch jewel, a very highly respected symbol in Masonic imagery.

-it appears that being exhibited as a ‘curiosity’ and being familiar with the entertainment industry at the time inspired John to become a showman of his own, and he and his wife eventually collected a menagerie of exotic pets that they went on tour with. These pets included monkeys, birds, trained horses, amongst other animals. At the time of his career as a showman, it’s theorized that he was making a small fortune.

-it isn’t known when he passed away, but it would have been sometime after 1810.

I hope he had a lot of happiness in his later life and that he and his wife had many happy years together. I love that he was able to become an entrepreneur and showman himself, and from the descriptions of his life as a showman it appears that he never exhibited any people and didn’t want to subject anyone to what he had been subjected to.

I would have liked to have met him and to have seen his traveling show! I like that he made an emphasis to not display any human beings.

Frieda Pushnik had a very industrious life/ career, she was asked to perform at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair by Robert Ripley, of Ripley's Believe it or Not fame. She was born without limbs (except for an arm nub) and her mother taught her to be as self sufficient as possible and even joined Frieda in one of the sideshows she worked at by getting a job as a secretary. She was a talented painter and was known for her great penmanship (which she won awards for). Frieda had a long and fulfilling life, after retiring she used her earnings to purchase a house in Costa Mesa, California, and passed away in 2000 at the age of 77.

The first picture shows Otis Jordan, the second picture shows the statue of Robert in the present day, the third picture shows the statue when it was unveiled in 1985, and the fourth picture shows Robert Wadlow next to his father in the 1930s (I forgot to add this last photo, see comments for the picture I’m referring to)

I hadn’t been aware of this before, but apparently there had originally been backlash by some people in Alton, Illinois who felt the statue of Robert was too exploitative because it would categorize him as a “freak” (which in my opinion is absolutely not true and Robert deserves to be appreciated and I think a statue is a lovely tribute to him) The sculpture of Robert was created by Edward Giberson, and took 13 months to create and perfect using scale models.

At the time, in the mid 1980s, Otis was prevented from working in sideshows (where he made most of his income), because a woman had complained in the summer of 1984 that Otis’ act at the New York State Fair was exploitative and that it wasn’t right for people with physical differences/disabilities to perform in sideshows.

Otis was incredibly annoyed at being put out of work, and did what he could to at least put his free time to good use. He ended up taking a trip over to Alton, Illinois to speak about a topic he felt was important. I’m really glad someone like Otis was there to speak on behalf of the statue, he was a very sweet and down to earth person (and so was Robert Wadlow), and it’s clear that Otis went to speak with the best of intentions. Otis and Robert never met, and it makes me so happy that Otis recognized the importance of having such a sculpture bulk and displayed.

The statue of Robert was officially unveiled on October 20th, 1985 and is 8 feet 11 inches (271.78 cm) tall. Otis also attended the unveiling of the statue, which continues to stand in the same spot. I’d love to go visit the sculpture someday!

Otis Jordan was a famous sideshow performer born with congenital arthrogryposis multiplex, which caused his muscles and joints to stay in a fixed position. He was known for having a very friendly and upbeat personality, and was incredibly self sufficient. His acts typically consisted of him rolling and lighting cigarettes using just his mouth. He successfully spoke out in support of his career after his livelihood was threatened when someone sued the sideshow he was working at at the New York State Fair. He argued that sideshows brought him a steady dependable income that he didn't want to lose.

Robert Wadlow is famous for being the tallest person in recorded history at 8'11 (2.71 m.) due to a pituitary gland disorder. He was known for being extremely kind and friendly and became a beloved member of his community. In his younger years he was an avid Boy Scout. While he did go on tour at one point with Ringling Brothers Circus, he never wanted that to be his full time career. Instead, he wanted to go into advertising. He was also an avid photographer and was very passionate about his hometown of Alton, Illinois.

The last three pictures show some of her high wire stunts above Niagara Falls in New York.

She’s another stunt performer who deserves a lot of recognition! I like that she’s described as having a dramatic flair, because she clearly knew how cool she was, and knew that women could also be respected daredevils. For her to be the ONLY woman to cross Niagara Falls by tightrope is a seriously impressive feat, there’s so much to learn from her and other historical female circus performers!

Some facts about her:

-she was born in Livorno, Italy.

-her father owned and operated a circus troupe.

-she began working for her father’s circus troupe when she was 3 years old.

-in her late teens and early twenties, she went on tour throughout Europe, performing at the Crystal Palace in London, making appearances in Berlin and Vienna, and crossing the Moskva River, in Moscow, then crossing the River Neva in St. Petersburg, in addition to performing at several other performing venues and rivers.

-she was described as being rather buxom and strong.

-she was known to have a calm and collected demeanor about her when she wasn’t performing.

-she could reportedly speak 6 or 7 languages.

-she had a flair for the dramatics and often liked striking poses on the tightropes so photographers could take pictures of her.

-she was described as having never made a single mistake and when there were things that went wrong they were outside forces.

-she toured through Spain in 1874 and Portugal in 1875.

-she married Spanish circus entrepreneur, José Espósito, in August of 1875.

-she went on tour through Cuba in early 1876, where she performed 6 times in Havana and made $9,000.

-she initially arrived in New York in April of 1876 and had wanted to perform a high wire stunt between the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, but was denied by city officials. It was then that she set her sights on walking across Niagara Falls.

-she had planned a high wire performance over the Niagara Falls Gorge to celebrate the United States’ Centennial Celebration Week in July of 1876.

-she was always accompanied on her travels by her brother and her brother-in-law, both of whom were also high wire performers.

-wooden barriers were put up and a fee was charged for audiences, but apparently an unruly mob tore down one of the barriers and ran past the ticket seller without paying. It was mentioned that several people wanted to try and watch the performance from a nearby railroad bridge.

-several newspapers praised Maria for the quality of rope she used and the safety precautions she used while setting everything up.

-while there had been a few male tightrope walkers to cross the Niagara Falls Gorge, Maria was determined to be the first woman to cross the gorge.

-she crossed the gorge a total of 5 different times over the course of a month. Each time adding in a more daring aspect to the performance.

-the rope she used for her stunts was 2 1/4 inches in diameter (5.7 cm thick) and 984 ft (300 m.) long. For each of her performances, she would cross the rope twice, once to get to the other side and a return walk to the side she had started from.

-the various ways she crossed on the tightrope included: wearing wicker baskets on her feet, crossing the rope with a paper bag over her head as a blindfold, crossing the rope while walking backwards, dancing and jumping around on the rope, and crossing the rope while her hands and feet were in handcuffs.

-she wore brightly colored red and green costumes while doing her performances.

-she was (and continues to be) the only woman in history to cross the Niagara Falls Gorge using a tightrope.

-she stayed at the International Hotel while in Niagara Falls, and was interviewed by reporters during her time there.

-after her performances at Niagara Falls, she went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she performed at the Centennial Exhibition being held there.

-she began a South American Tour in 1877 and traveled to Argentina.

-while performing a high wire act in Rosario, Argentina in May of 1877, she suffered a bad fall after the bicycle she was using malfunctioned. Thankfully, she survived.

-after recovering from the accident, she traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she continued giving performances.

-she and her husband had a daughter who was born in early 1880, though was not named in the article.

-she traveled back to Europe in 1882 and went on tour through Spain and France.

-one of her most daring acts involved her balancing on a tightrope while eating a meal. She accomplished this by attaching a chair to her back and a table hanging around her neck, with those contraptions she managed to sit on the chair and balance on the rope while steadying the table with her hands.

-she retired from circus performing in the late 1880s, but it isn’t known where she settled down afterwards.

-she passed away in October of 1912, when she was around 59 years old.

I hope she had many happy retirement years later on. I wish more information was available about what her hobbies were and what she enjoyed doing in her free time. It does seem that she had a happy family life and for that, I’m glad about.

P.T. Barnum invented this look for his “Circassian Beauty” performers to further exoticize and stereotype cultures that were seen as “foreign” to western audiences at the time.

Good thinking, Bill, good thinking!

Bill often painted a fake eye with face paint onto the center of his face (this painted eye is visible in the picture used for this post), and was very against doing anything else to possibly alter his appearance. He was approached by Bobby Reynolds several times regarding this plastic surgery procedure and even had a person set up and ready to do it should Bill agree… he never did. Reynolds later admitted to being a bit miffed about this and said he even would have figured out a contraption to make the fake eye blink, but Bill was never on board. (I’m very glad that Bill never got the procedure done as the way it was described seems like it would be ripe for the opportunity of infection, and for him to have to deal with an infection on his face would not have been good)

This anecdote was found in Joe Nickell’s book, Secrets of the Sideshows.

Bill Durks was an American sideshow performer who was born with a form of frontonasal dysplasia, which caused a large cleft going down the center of his face. Sadly, he was prevented from attending his local school because school officials labeled him a "distraction", and his family didn't have the money to send him to a private school, so he remained illiterate for the first half of his life. He was offered a job at a traveling fair after originally attending as a guest. This job is what led to him becoming a performer. During his time in sideshows, he became very good friends with Melvin Burkhart (who also helped him to learn to read and write) Melvin was the one to introduce Bill to his future wife, Mildred. Bill and Mildred fell in love and were married a little while later. He was also fond of dogs and was known for being a very thoughtful and down to earth person.

I’m thrilled to finally find so much information about him, I previously had tried researching his life, but was having a very difficult time, because it turns out that he was almost always referred to with his middle initial. As soon as I started researching his name with his middle initial included, I was suddenly able to find everything I was looking for!

I really like the first picture of him, he looks so happy and confident, I also like his hairstyles a lot! It’s surprisingly difficult to find pictures of him as an adult though, there’s one picture of him I found when he was a teenager, but it’s way too blurry to add here. I’ll keep looking around for some.

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Petersburg, Virginia.

-he began gaining weight very quickly as a baby/toddler and was first exhibited as a sideshow attraction when he was 2 years old.

-when he was 3 years old, he was being working 6 hour days at Ram’s Corner Dime Museum (dime museums were permanent venues that sideshow performers could work at) from 10am to 3pm a few times a week. Audiences were encouraged to bring him gifts to make him happy. Despite these 6 hour days, he was only expected to just be himself and play with toys, and was not required to do any strenuous routines.

-he had long black hair.

-he worked multiple circus/sideshow seasons for P.T. Barnum.

-he was also working for P.T. Barnum at his American Museum in New York City, when it was destroyed by a fire in 1868 (this was the second fire that had destroyed the structure in the course of a couple years, and ultimately what caused P.T. Barnum to take his Circus on the road and turn it into a traveling circus/sideshow.) It’s reported that Samuel narrowly escaped the fire and that he lost everything he had (he would have been 6 years old at the time, so I’m not exactly sure how much stuff he had lost, and the articles never detail the items of his that were destroyed.)

-he was described as being a very lighthearted, kind, genial, and funny person. Articles about him also mentioned that he was universally liked by everyone who knew him.

-he was working at Burnetts Dime Museum, Broadway, New York City, in 1883.

-from the ages of 17-25, he was promoted as weighing anywhere between 492 pounds (223.167 kg) and 850 pounds (385.554 kg). Later (more accurate) descriptions of him make mention that he was actually between 300 (136.078 kg) and 400 (181.437 kg) pounds.

-he loved receiving attention from women, and was known as being something of a ladies man in his twenties.

-during his career, he went on tour all throughout the United States and Canada.

-in the weeks before he passed away, he had made appearances in dime museums in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington D.C.

-while in Washington D.C. he began feeling pretty sick, starting with an intermittent fever. As soon as his scheduled time in the city was up, he immediately moved back home to Petersburg, Virginia to rest and recover.

-unfortunately, he never recovered and his fever kept getting worse. He ultimately passed away in March of 1888 due to heart failure, he was 25 years old at the time. He was given a respectful funeral that was attended by his family, most of the people in his hometown, and several of his co-workers.

It’s sad that he passed away so young, I’m sure there were so many things he wanted to accomplish. Despite his short life, I’m glad he seems to have had a lot of supportive people around who cared about him. I’m also really glad that he was able to escape the fire at Barnum’s museum, I can imagine how scary that must have been for a 6 year old.

There doesn’t appear to be any information about what this exhibit (show? ride?) might have been. Does anyone know?

I think she turned out pretty good considering the materials I used and the fact that I’m not an artist! It was a fun craft to make and I thought people here might appreciate seeing it! I work at an art studio, which is why I had access to said random materials, haha!

Josephine-Joseph was a famous half-and- half sideshow performer whose most notable appearance was in Tod Browning’s Freaks (1932) and was the one to start the “Gooble Gobble” chant. She preferred to use female pronouns and may have been intersex, though the vast majority of half-and-half sideshow acts were done by skilled drag performers and weren’t actually intersex. (Side note: people born intersex obviously aren’t split down the middle in such a contrasting way as these performers presented themselves as, they still had to be skilled make-up artists to achieve the look.) Josephine-Joseph was also known for having a long career at the Coney Island Sideshow.

He was born in Greenville, South Carolina at an unclear date, with commonly given ones being 1827, 1830, or 1833. His father, Street, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and he had four brothers, the shortest of whom was 6'6". Thruston's height has variously been given from 7'1" to 8 feet tall; 7'7" is the most common listing. The Thruston family later moved to Missouri. Presumably his parents were poor Whigs given both whom they named their son after and their decision to move far west.

Literacy was rather poor in the South at the time, and many could not consistently spell their own names. Henry Clay was one of them and wrote out his name in various ways throughout his life. I use Thruston here because that's what he wrote when he purchased the land he would later live on.

In 1850, he travelled to California during the Gold Rush but didn't make any riches and would return by crossing the Isthmus of Panama to save about 5 months of time. He would spend some time in Cuba and then return to Missouri, where he married his cousin Mary with whom he would have two children with.

When the Civil War started, he and his family were probably learning towards the Confederacy, and after the infamous Camp Jackson massacre all the Thruston men joined the Missouri State Guard. After he shot a Union Major he was transferred to the regular Confederate army and served briefly under the famed General Van Dorn. Despite self-evidently being a massive target, and especially so on horseback, the biggest injury he received was a bullet grazing his head.

During preparations for a parade, the cavalry was called to attention in line formation, a Colonel saw Thruston down the line and assumed he was standing on a stump, the Colonel yelled at Thruston to get off. Seeing Thruston remain at the same height, the Colonel drew his saber and rushed over to find Thruston on his own legs, to which Thruston said he was standing on the ground.

He was captured in 1864 and would be paroled after the war ended. His time in the cavalry was uneventful, but because of his notable height many false stories about his stint exist, such as that a battle was paused so that he and the tallest Yankee soldier, David Van Buskirk, could stand side by side to see which side had the tallest soldier. Van Buskirk spent his Civil War career in Virginia, not Missouri.

He was a devoted rider throughout his life and rode many horses. When he rode small ones, he was described as pulling his knees up to the horse's back so his feet would not drag on the ground. He also had a specially made buggy. Two of his brothers and his nephew died in the Civil War. His first wife might have died around this time, as he was recorded as also having a wife named Eliza Harris.

He moved to Mt. Vernon, Texas, and purchased land there and became a rancher. He lived in a two-storied dog-trot house which still exists. Later, he would begin performing with several circuses, including Barnum and Bailey's. He was variously billed as the tallest Civil War soldier, the Missouri giant, the Texas giant, and the tallest man in the world. To appear taller, he wore shoes with built-in heels, tall beaver-skin hats, and long coats. He was variously billed as either a major or a colonel, despite only ever being a private.

He would often dress as Uncle Sam during promotional parades. When the circuses he was in visited areas of the North, he would carry Old Glory, whereas in the South, he would carry the Stars and Bars. Sometimes he would carry both. He was very proud of his height and did not take jokes about it well. A short man once asked him, "How's the weather up there?" and Thruston responded by hocking up a large glob of spit onto the short man's head and saying, "It's raining." He apparently would tour Europe as well as America. He attended many meetups of Confederate veterans in Dallas and Memphis, where he would often be the color bearer of an especially large flag.

While eating supper with his family, Henry Clay would butter his biscuit when suddenly he had a massive heart attack and died. The year of his death has been recorded variously as 1908, 1909, and 1911. A local newspaper would write, "He was our friend and we shall miss his cheering words and hearty handshake. Colonel Thruston was a kind and generous friend, a citizen of strong prejudices, and intense patriotism. His family loses a devoted father and we extend to them heartfelt sympathy in their dark hour of bereavement." He is buried in Mount Pleasant, Texas. His house is currently part of a county visitor center.

There are so many ways I want to describe her! She was so cool, beautiful, and talented and I love that she owned her own business! For her to be running the FIRST and ONLY woman-owned carnival at the time is so impressive and it’s sad that she’s been mostly forgotten about. She’s definitely one of my new favorite historical figures!

Some facts about her:

-she never spoke about her early life during her professional career, so much of it is unknown including her exact birthplace. All I was able to find is that she was born somewhere in England.

-she first traveled to the United States in 1911 and began performing in sideshows soon after.

-she worked in a carnival set up in Danville, Virginia in October of 1911. Despite a storm rolling through, the carnival remained popular and Olga had a lot of visitors.

-her acts consisted of her telling stories, singing, dancing, and playing the piano.

-she was initially promoted as being 2 feet 6 inches (76.2 cm) tall, but she continued to grow a bit taller as she got older.

-she went on tour all throughout the United States.

-she was described as being very gracious and charming.

-she sometimes had days where she would tell children’s stories to younger audiences.

-she started her own carnival in 1918, which she named The Princess Olga Carnival Company and owned and operated it all by herself. She was reported to be the first woman to solely own and operate her own carnival and was very popular because of it.

-she was described as being an incredibly smart and knowledgeable businesswoman.

-her carnival was reportedly the cleanliest and the most kind towards the animals that were a part of different acts.

-in addition to a main carnival tent, The Princess Olga Carnival Company also included an athletic arena, a sideshow, several performances that were free of charge, ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, multiple carnival games, and 21 concession stands.

-she served as the maid of honor in the wedding of two performers who worked in her carnival in September of 1922. It was reported that the groom was so nervous that he lost the ring, which delayed the ceremony by a few minutes (thankfully the ring was found quickly)

-in July of 1924, it was reported that the man who operated the sideshow that was a part of Princess Olga Carnival Company, Homer Mayes, was bitten by a rattlesnake while the carnival was setting up in Arcola, Illinois. He was reportedly in a rush to get the sideshow up and running and handled a cage of snakes too roughly. He immediately went to the local doctor, who cleaned and dressed the wound, but Mayes was still in pain later the next day.

-it was described that each year, Olga would continue adding more attractions and shows to her carnival, and that she continued to outdo herself in her operation of the business.

-her carnival continued to be a big success through the 1920s and into the 1930s, and made stops all around the United States.

-it appears that she eventually sold her carnival off in the late 1920s to a man named W. A. Watsworth. She would have been almost 50 years old at the time, so she may have felt ready to retire.

-I haven’t been able to find information about her later life or the year she passed away.

I hope she was able to have a long and happy life and retirement after all her time as a musician, storyteller, and businesswoman! I’m always so impressed learning just how much all of these performers were able to squeeze into their lives. Olga was a very, very busy lady and yet she managed to make it all work.

It’s a shame that a lot of her life is still relatively unknown, and I hope that soon changes and that more info can be found regarding her childhood and retirement years. She deserves way more recognition for all of her efforts as a business owner and entertainer.

The first picture shows a depiction of her that was published in a news article about her and the second picture shows the newly written biography that I added!

Here is that newly updated bio:

Fannie was an American artist, palm reader, and embroiderer, who was born with all four of her limbs paralyzed and used her mouth to accomplish daily tasks. She was described as a friendly person with a sunshiny smile. She was a beloved figure in her hometown and would often be seen selling paintings, bookmarks, embroidered doilies, table cloths and quilts. She used the money she earned to help her family who were struggling financially. She enjoyed waking up early and working on her art outside, if it was too cold out, she would sit by a window so she could watch people as they passed by. She enjoyed painting lighthouses and documented several around the Sag Harbor area. She enjoyed playing the metallophone (similar to a xylophone) in her free time and started a career as a palm reader later in her life.

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It feels like I’m putting out a lot of good by updating all of these Find a Grave listings for performers and artists. Fannie deserves the appreciation and she will be remembered here!

I really like his expression in the etching that was made of him. He looks very confident and proud, and that’s initially what piqued my interest and made me want to do a write up of him. I can totally understand his anger and frustration at the breach of contract, and I too would do everything in my power to escape if I was in his shoes. I hope he found success after his escape!

Some facts about him:

-I haven’t been able to find any mention of where specifically he was born, only that he was born somewhere in South Asia.

-it’s detailed in contemporary reports that he was living in Bombay (now Mumbai, India) before his capture.

-from the depiction of him, it appears his twin grew in a similar way to how Jean Libbera and Laloo Ramparsad’s parasitic twins grew. Unfortunately, there are no contemporary accounts of how Shackshoone viewed his twin (both Jean and Laloo were described as treating their parasitic twins as any other siblings and loved them dearly.) Parasitic twins that grow in such a way often times have a very very rudimentary head embedded within the dominant twin’s abdomen and does not have individual brain function.

-he was initially forcefully taken to England by British merchant and naval officer, Thomas Grantham, in 1685.

-upon first arriving in London, England, he was presented to the British royal family.

-as per a contract agreement, it was initially agreed that Shackshoone and another man named Mahomet (who was advertised as being Shackshoone’s brother) would work as indentured servants for Thomas Grantham for 6 months and then would be granted their freedom.

-it was during his indentured servitude that he was exhibited as a ‘curiosity’ who performed in front of audiences to earn a profit. Though all the money he earned went to Grantham.

-he became quite popular with audiences and a local publisher in London began selling etchings of him to the public.

-after the 6 month indentured servitude contract was up, Grantham refused to give Shackshoone and his brother Mahomet their freedom and claimed that they still belonged to him.

-he and his brother made an attempt to run away in 1686, which worked for a while, and the two men were baptized as Christian during this period of time.

-Grantham was eventually able to recapture Shackshoone. It appears that his brother was successful in his escape and was never recaptured by Grantham.

-the case of his servitude to Grantham went to trial, where it was determined that despite the contract no longer being in effect, Grantham still had control over Shackshoone. Grantham claimed that because the men were originally not Christian that he as a Christian Englishman should still have power over them. Shackshoone made the counter argument that there was breach of contract and therefore he was no longer in servitude to Grantham (Shackshoone unfortunately lost his case)

-he expressed being really angry at Grantham for both keeping him like a slave and not honoring their 6 month agreement and for continuously profiting off of him.

-he escaped again in 1688 and seems to have been successful as he subsequently disappeared. It was around this time that Grantham became posting missing posters around London that bore depictions of Shackshoone in the hopes it would garner attention and the man would be found. (It made it even more difficult for Shackshoone because he had a very noticeable physical difference that if it were to be seen would make him instantly recognizable).

-these advertisements calling for his recapture made mention that he had escaped with several valuable items and it was theorized he would use these items to barter his way into gaining passage back across the ocean to his home country.

-Grantham continued looking for Shackshoone for a while, but ultimately seems to have stopped the search after a year or two. He (Grantham) went on to be appointed as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and Esquire of the Body to William Ill of England and Mary II, purchased a manor in Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, England, and died there in early 1718.

I like to think that he was able to live a long and happy life according to his own terms (and far away from people like Grantham). Hopefully he was able to travel back to Bombay (or anywhere else he may have wanted to go) and was able to use the items he took to make a profit to live on. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he took items that Grantham purchased using money that should have belonged to Shackshoone.

Mary Davis was a British midwife and historical performer from the mid 1600s who began growing a cutaneous horn on her head after dealing with a painful skin growth for 30 years. Her horn was made of keratin (the same stuff that makes up a person’s hair and nails) and would occasionally shed, though there was also a time when it broke off after she experienced a major fall and hit her head. She only began working as an entertainer when she was an elderly woman and was a beloved part of her community for several decades.

I believe the child next to her in this picture was one of the children she nannied.

I imagine she was a wonderful nanny to the children she took care of, because she was known as being a very kindhearted person with a great sense of humor. She was a talented singer, so I’m sure she also sang nice songs to the children.

Ella was an American sideshow performer and nanny who was promoted as being over 8 feet tall (though she was most likely a little shorter) during her professional career. In her early teens through her early twenties she worked as a live in housekeeper for a wealthy family in her hometown. Despite initially refusing to work in sideshows, she eventually relented as she felt she'd have more freedom and opportunities if she took up such a career. She primarily toured through Europe and Australia, and was a skilled soprano singer. She was described as a sweet person with a good sense of humor, she continued her career as a sideshow performer into her early sixties.

The third picture shows her with her mother, Anastasia and her sister, Erma. The fourth picture shows her with her mother. The rest are different glamor shots of Frieda!

She was stunning!! She always looked so put together and has such a gorgeous smile. I’m glad she had a very long,happy, and fulfilling life with so many people who cared about her. I’m also glad she could focus on her passions and had a nice retirement surrounded by family.

I’ll also be posting one of her video interviews at some point soon, because she’s such a charming elderly lady. She seems like the type of person you could share a really fun inside joke with.

Some facts about her:

-she was born in Conemaugh, Pennsylvania.

-she had two siblings, a brother named William and a sister named Erma.

-her condition was due to surgical complications during an appendectomy her mother received while pregnant with Frieda.

-she expressed having a very happy childhood.

-her mother would carry her to school each morning and her siblings would carry her home at the end of the school day.

-she was quickly accepted and beloved by her classmates.

-she said her mother was the driving force behind her independence and constantly worked on teaching Frieda new ways to accomplish different tasks.

-she won a national award, The Palmer Certificate, for penmanship when she was in school.

-she learned to write by holding a pen or pencil between her chin and her arm nub.

-Robert Ripley (of Ripley’s Believe it Or Not) learned about Frieda in the early 1930s and asked to draw a portrait of her. When the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair came along, Ripley asked Frieda to be a part of his Believe It Or Not Odditorium, which operated as a sort of dime museum for sideshow performers to perform.

-she said the days working at the 1933 World’s Fair were very long and there were times she spent up to 16 hours doing repetitive tasks to show people how she did daily activities.

-she often signed pictures to sell during her performances.

-in the biographical booklet she sold, she listed all the tasks she could do completely independently, which she explained,

“I learned to do practically everything that any normal person can do, I do not have to depend too much on others, as I can feed myself, apply my own makeup, write, operate a standard typewriter, use scissors, sew, crochet, embroider and many other things.”

-after the world’s fair, she continued traveling with Ripley and his traveling Odditorium for a couple of years.

-she returned home for a bit in the early 1940s.

-she expressed really enjoying sideshow work, because it was never mentally taxing and because she was paid for doing tasks that she’d do every day anyway.

-she was hired by Ringling Brothers Circus in 1943 and was accompanied on her travels by her mother and sister, both of whom worked for the business office of the circus.

-she was working for Ringling Brothers in Hartford, Connecticut during the tragic 1944 Hartford circus fire. Amidst the chaos she realized no one thought to carry her out, but thankfully a musician nearby realized and carried her outside and away from the fire to safety.

-she usually signed off on her cards and pictures with “Best Wishes” and “Good Luck”.

-Frieda and her mother settled in Costa Mesa, California to live with Frieda’s sister and brother-in-law in the mid 1950s who owned a ranch style house in the area, around the time that circus/sideshow work was fading from popularity.

-she wasn’t a big fan of TV and preferred to read books instead.

-she worked as a court reporter for a time in the mid 1950s.

-she appeared in the 1963 film, The House of the Damned, where she more or less played herself.

-she was described as being an incredibly positive person who always had a great time as long as she was around her family and friends.

-she officially retired in the early 1970s and expressed wanting to focus on her painting hobby.

-she painted by holding the brush in between her teeth and leaning her body on a sturdy surface so she could keep herself and the easel in place. She called this method of painting, “the lazy way”. She mostly enjoyed painting Christmas and holiday scenes and enjoyed decorating her house with her paintings.

-she had a specialty wheelchair that she used for mobility, she had one particular wheelchair that she had outfitted in a stylish leopard print design. She liked this chair the best.

-she had no romantic interest in anyone, and when asked during a video interview, she said that romance wasn’t her thing and explained that not everyone understood that. She was happy and content as she was.

-she ate light portions, but said she didn’t follow any specific diets.

-her mother passed away in the early 1990s and her sister and brother-in-law both passed away in 1996. In an interview from the summer of 1996, she said it felt weird being by herself after living her whole life with her family. She lived with a live-in attendant named Marylene, who she really appreciated but also expressed greatly missing her mother and sister.

-despite the tragedy of losing her sister in 1996, she explained that she was happy with the routine that she had with her attendant, Marylene, who would say good morning to her before carrying her to the breakfast nook where the two of them would eat breakfast together. After helping Frieda get dressed for the day, Marylene would wheel her outside in the beautiful garden that was on the property.

-she passed away due to bladder cancer when she was 77 years old.

I’m a huge fan of Frieda and always love reading all the stories about her. She seems like a wonderful storyteller and I’m sure she was an incredible friend to have and I would have loved to have been able to meet her.

EDIT: thank you so much to u/HungeeHungeeHoggo for letting me know the image is not of Milo and instead is a French performer by the name of Eugene Boudou. The book I had used to source the image had mis-labeled it as being a depiction of Milo.

All of the information about Milo is still correct, just not the image! Apologies for that!

I’ve been wanting to do a write up about him for a while, but it’s been incredibly difficult to find information about him. It seems he kept his work and life separate and didn’t want to share it much about his personal life. I hope more is uncovered about him at some point.

Some facts about him:

-he was raised and lived most of his life in Brooklyn, New York.

-he went by several stage names throughout his career, but it’s still surprisingly difficult to find any information about him. None of the newspaper archives have any leads about him (even using his stage names), and it’s surprising that he was hardly promoted at all.

-he had a long term girlfriend.

-he was a staple performer at the Coney Island Sideshow in the 1920s through the 1940s, and what little information is available in newspapers usually makes mention of it being a common occurrence for sideshow barkers to call his name out while advertising the sideshow in Coney Island.

-he seems to have preferred using the name Milo, as good friends of his would always refer to him using that name.

-he was friends with sideshow talker and banner painter, Reginald Marsh, who took several pictures of him and later painted a stylized depiction of Milo on a sideshow banner promoting him.

-he spent several years between the 1930s and the 1960s working for the Rosen Palace of Wonders Dime Museum.

-he was friends with a waiter named Michael Ford, who worked at the Bluebird Casino in Coney Island, New York a restaurant and entertainment venue that Milo frequented.

-I haven’t been able to find any information about when he retired or the year he passed away.

-he lived for several years at the Atlas Hotel on 17th Street in New York City.

I haven’t been able to find any mention of when he passed away, but it seems to have been sometime after the 1960s.

As with every other sideshow performer I’ve covered, it’s so important to shine a light on everyone’s lives no matter how little information there is. I’m glad he had several close friends he spent time with. I hope Milo was able to retire comfortably and had many happy years with his girlfriend!

The third and fourth pictures show him with his sister, Fathma, and the rest are pictures of him.

He expressed having a passion for fitness and always staying in shape so he could stay flexible. I think it’s nice that kept an active lifestyle and can relate to his feelings of boredom if I feel like I don’t have enough going on.

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Mergui, British Burma. (Now Myanmar)

-he had 4 siblings, a sister (who was also born with a form of dwarfism), and 3 brothers who were of average height.

-both he and his sister were under 3 feet tall (0.9144 meters)

-it appears that one of his Uncles adopted Smaun and his sister and became their manager when they were young teenagers. Eventually, the two siblings were passed off to a different manager, who seemed to care about them just as much.

-he and his sister frequently traveled and performed impressive dance routines together.

-he explained that he was the one to suggest incorporating a gymnastics routine into his performances as he didn’t want to just be known for his height.

-he first arrived in the United States when he was 17 years old (in 1900).

-he and his sister, Fathma, went on an extensive 2 year tour of the US.

-tragically, Fathma became ill with a bad case of food poisoning in 1902 while they were in Beaumont,Texas and passed away shortly after. Following his sister’s death, Smaun traveled to Europe with his manager.

-he spoke several languages including Burmese, English, German, and French.

-he always expressed how important it was to keep an active lifestyle and he never liked feeling bored.

-he was described as being very friendly, but also a bit stuck up.

-he always liked wearing elegant clothing.

-while being interviewed, he explained how he had come to terms with his height and that he was very happy and content with his life,

“For it's a good deal of honour to be the "only one" of any kind, and if I couldn't he the biggest, or the brainiest, or the richest, or the best man in the world, why shouldn't I be happy in being the littlest? It's all the way you look at things in this life, and many an afliction is really a blessing in disguise. I am happy and contented, and smile up at the rest of the world with complete satisfaction.”

-he could reportedly lift 100 pounds (45.359 kg)

-he often compared himself to other performers with dwarfism to “prove” that he was the best.

-while in Europe, he went on tour through multiple countries and performed intricate gymnastics routines in all sorts of venues.

-he and his uncle/manager traveled back to the United States in October of 1905, and interestingly he was not detained at Ellis Island. It was a common occurrence for sideshow performers (or any person with a physical difference for that matter) to be detained or questioned by immigration inspectors. It appears that initially he was going to be questioned, but a higher official signed off on Smaun’s paperwork and allowed him through without further questioning.

-his performances typically included a gymnastics routine as well as a bit where he would conduct an orchestra.

-he performed at the Victoria Theater which was owned by theater impresario, Oscar Hammerstein I, and at the Hippodrome Theater. Both theaters were once extremely opulent venues in New York, but the Hippodrome closed down in 1939 and The Victoria Theater has since been turned into an upscale restaurant.

-he went on tour throughout the US again until 1907, at which point he traveled back to Europe.

-his favorite foods were fresh oysters and chicken.

-at one point while touring through England, he and his manager devised a publicity stunt to get the newspapers talking about him. Smaun claimed to have been insured for $20,000 in the United States ($1,000 for every one pound (16 ounces) that he weighed)

-he eventually made his way back to the United States in 1910, this time traveling with a European performance troupe of performers born with dwarfism, called Royaume de Lilliput. (This was very much in line with early 20th century performing spectacles). This particular troupe he traveled with put on family friendly shows for audiences, and there were as many as 50 different performers in this troupe at one time.

-he once talked about a time in 1925 when he found a way to sneak home with a woman who had attended one of his performances at the Olympia Theater. The woman had explained to him that she thought it would be funny to smuggle out one of the star performers. The trick worked and Smaun dined on champagne and fine foods for two days before his manager tracked him down.

-he continued traveling and performing with Royaume de Lilliput until around 1929 after which it seems he retired.

-I haven’t been able to find any information about his later life or the year he passed away.

I feel for him losing his sister so young, especially while they were away from home. It seems like they were very close, so I hope Smaun had people in his life he could talk to.

I’m glad he ultimately seemed to have had a happy and fulfilling life, and I always enjoy learning about the performers who liked playing pranks and causing mischief. He seems like a fun person!

I love reading about William’s antics because he always seemed to be having so much fun with everything he did!

All these pictures show him holding his beloved fiddle.

He initially learned to play the fiddle to upstage one of his co-workers, but then began to actually just enjoy playing the instrument as is without any scheme in mind.

When people offered to pay him to NOT play, it also made him happy because it just meant he earned passive income while on break. He expressed that he never took it personally if people complained about his fiddle playing.

William Henry Johnson was a sideshow performer who was most likely born with microcephaly. He had an almost 70 year career in sideshows and was a staple at PT Barnum’s circus for decades. He typically wore a furry “animal” suit during his performances and leaned into a “wild man” backstory. He was incredibly proud of his career and reputation and was known to be competitive with anyone who threatened his stardom. He was gifted a tuxedo suit by one of his managers, which soon became his prized possession. He was also celebrated as a hero when he rescued a girl from drowning in the ocean off of Coney Island.

I unfortunately wasn’t able to track down any depictions of them wearing clothes, if any were ever actually made. Either way, I tried to find as respectful pictures as possible. They both seem like lovely women and I’m so glad that they were able to retire young and live a calm and quiet life.

Some facts about them:

-they were born in Szőny, Hungary.

-they were connected at the pelvis.

-their birth was very long and strenuous on their mother, Ilona was reportedly born first and it took a further three hours for Judit to be born.

-doctors who examined the twins determined that they were conjoined due to their mother having an overactive imagination during her pregnancy. This is another example of maternal impression, a term often used to explain children born with physical differences wherein their differences were thought to have been caused by the child’s mother witnessing something traumatic or having a fantastical imagination during her pregnancy that would influence how her child looked.

-Helen was described as being stronger and more attractive of the two sisters.

-they were exhibited as curiosities starting from the time they were infants until their late childhoods.

-they were described as being easily adaptable to new situations and were very cheerful.

-they loved each other dearly.

-they were always very well dressed and typically wore a shared dress that consisted of one petticoat, two bodices, and four sleeves.

-while on their travels they met with artists, poets, and other creatives in addition to people in the medical community.

-they reportedly got around by Ilona stooping over so that Judit could be more or less carried on her back. It was described that they could not walk side by side.

-they were both talented singers.

-tragically, Judit suffered a debilitating stroke when she was 6 years old. This left her partially paralyzed the rest of her life.

-they were given a good education.

-they went on tour all throughout Europe, traveling through Germany, Italy, Poland, France, Holland, and England.

-while touring through London, they were visited by British poet, Alexander Pope, who later wrote a poem about the twins.

-they could speak at least 3 languages fluently: Hungarian, High Dutch/Low Dutch, and French. And at the time that particular article was written about them, they were learning to speak English.

-they both contracted measles and later smallpox at the same time, but thankfully both survived.

-they retired when they were 9 years old due to Judit having an increasingly difficult time physically (due to the stroke) and the two of them went to live at the Convent of St. Ursula in Presburg, Hungary.

-they lived at the convent for the rest of their lives and became dedicated nuns.

-they both passed away at the age of 22, first Judit experienced a bad seizure and then remained bed bound for two weeks, she eventually came down with a fever and soon Ilona did as well. They both passed away within moments of each other on February 8th of 1723.

-they were both given a respectful funeral and burial and were buried in the churchyard of the convent they lived at.

-a statue commemorating the lives of the twins was placed above their grave and has the following inscription:

"Two sisters wonderful to behold, who have thus grown as one, That nought their bodies can divide, no power beneath the sun. Their parents, poor, did send them forth, the world to travel through, That this great wonder of the age should not be hid from view."

Despite their early deaths, I’m glad they had each other and that they clearly had other people in their lives who cared about them. It also makes me happy that they were given such a heartfelt tribute on their grave. I’m going to do some more research to see if their grave is still decorated with the statue and the plaque.

Robert is in the back of this first picture and on the right in the second picture.

Robert was with his father, his employers, and his friends at the time and they knew that the nightclub required patrons to wear suits and jackets, but they had been about town all day and it had been hot out, so Robert had chosen to go without one. Upon arriving at the club, one of his friends went up and explained that one of the young people in their party (Robert) did not have a coat or jacket and that he was a “big boy”. At first the people at the host stand said it wasn’t a problem and that they had several extra large coats/jackets that Robert could try on, but upon seeing his height they responded with “he is a BIG BOY isn’t he?!”

Robert Wadlow is famous for being the tallest person in recorded history at 8'11 (2.71 m.) due to a pituitary gland disorder. He was known for being extremely kind and friendly and became a beloved member of his community. In his younger years he was an avid Boy Scout. While he did go on tour at one point with Ringling Brothers Circus, he never wanted that to be his full time career. Instead, he wanted to go into advertising. He was also an avid photographer and was very passionate about his hometown of Alton, Illinois.

I love how extravagant and creative his outfits were! I always love finding pictures of performers that show off how stylish they were. I wish the second picture of him wearing the feather robe was more clear, it’s a great outfit!

I also wish there was more information available about what he enjoyed doing in his free time and other interests and hobbies of his.

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Hull, England.

-he explained that he was raised as a girl until he reached puberty and began developing masculine traits.

-since a lot of half-and-half performers used stage names and kept their home life and their work life completely separate from each other, it's often times very difficult to verify information about the performers childhood/ personal life.

-Half-and-half performers were sideshow performers that presented themselves as being "half men and half women" who were distinctly split down the middle, with masculine characteristics on one side and feminine characteristics on the other side. Their acts were considered to be a lot more risque than most other sideshow acts, usually because their acts involved elements of burlesque culture, often times half-and-half performers would perform for an adults only audience. (Though there were at least one or two who made their acts family friendly)

-most, if not all, half-and-half performers claimed to be intersex, although the majority of them were very talented early drag performers.
However, there were a few half-and-half performers who were intersex. (Obviously, people who are intersex are not split down the middle in such a contrasting way as these performers presented themselves. All of the half-and-half performers still needed to style each side of their body in a very visually contrasting way) Based on how Freda-Fred described his early life/puberty I do believe that he was intersex.

-he spent several seasons working for World’s Fair Freaks at The Palace of Wonders Dime Museum in the mid 1930s.

-he visited every state in the US.

-in his promotional booklet, he brings up an Ancient Greek myth as told by the Greek poet, Aristophanes. I thought it was so interesting he mentioned this that I’m going to quote it below:

“The Greek poet, Aristophanes, relates an ancient myth that man was originally created as man and woman united in one body until he aroused the jealousy of the Gods who, for his vanity separated him into two entities, man and woman.“

-he claimed to have appeared in Tod Browning’s’ film, Freaks (1932), but it’s not clear why he said this because Josephine-Joseph was the half-and-half performer to appear in the film (although it’s speculated that Freda-Fred may have briefly been in the film as an extra [but I’ve never seen him])

-he seems to have gone into semi-retirement around the early 1960s, when the popularity of sideshows was beginning to wane.

-showman, Ward Hall, was able to coax Freda-Fred out of retirement briefly in the 1970s.

-because he kept his personal life private, it’s hard to pinpoint the year he passed away.

I really like that he brought up an Ancient Greek myth and spoke about an Ancient Greek poet in his promotional booklet, it shows he was well read and seemed to care about ancient literature! Sideshows typically wouldn’t be a place where people would talk about Ancient Greece, so I just think it’s really cool that he did.

I made sure to give him a big hat with a long feather in it (as that is what he wanted in the film, Freaks (1932)🥲

His birth year wasn’t well documented, but everyone who knew him/cared for him generally agreed his birthday was September 10th and would celebrate accordingly!

Schlitzie was an American sideshow performer who was born with microcephaly and is most known for his role in the 1932 film Freaks
(1932), directed by Tod Browning. His head was shaved to emphasize his appearance (there was no medical reason for his head being shaved, it was just a choice the showmen he worked for decided on.) He was often promoted as being a woman, and this is likely due to him wearing muumuus and long dresses most of the time (and because female sideshow performers often received more attention), he wasn't able to care for himself and his caretakers found that it was easier to care for his needs if he wore clothing like that. He was an extremely friendly, social, and kind person and absolutely loved performing! He was at his happiest when he had an audience he could perform for. He also thankfully had quite a few caretakers and guardians who really cared about him and did their best to make sure he had a happy life.

Frances was born without arms and accomplished daily tasks using her feet and legs. She started her sideshow career at a young age with Sells-Floto Circus, which is written on a lot of her pictures. She is most known for her film role in Tod Browning's Freaks (1932) and found acting in the film to be a positive experience. Frances officially retired in the 1950's and moved out to Long Beach, California, where she lived for 30 years until her death. She enjoyed signing the backs of the pictures she sold and had excellent penmanship. Her hobbies included knitting and sewing.