u/EphemeralTypewriter

After his first birthday, his parents started a Facebook page which cataloged his life and a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his medical expenses.

He was born in Orlando, Florida and upon his birth was immediately rushed into the neonatal intensive care unit, where he stayed for 3 and a half weeks. He had been born with a portion of his skull missing, several cranial differences, a lot of visible bruising, and his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.

Microhydranencephaly is a condition that has traits of both microcephaly and hydranencephaly:

Microcephaly is a neurological and birth condition that causes an infant’s brain and head to be significantly smaller than average. Microcephaly is a spectrum where some people require higher support needs than others, and some people have more prominent neurological differences than others.

Hydranencephaly is a rare birth condition that affects the central nervous system where a person’s cerebral hemispheres in the brain are missing and that space is instead filled with sacs of cerebrospinal fluid.

He recovered enough to be sent home where his parents were living in Tavares, Florida. He was mostly nonverbal but enjoyed saying “hello” and often mimicked the sounds that different words made. He was unable to walk, was fed through a feeding tube, and had frequent seizures, but continuously surpassed doctors expectations based on the health complications he experienced after being born.

He was described as being very happy and giggly for most of his life. His parents supported him in every way they could and made sure he had as typical of a life as possible, bringing him outdoors, frequently reading stories to him, and bringing him to meet a mall Santa during the holidays.

His parents eventually released a book that further detailed their lives with Jaxon, and brought Jaxon on talk shows and shared his story with news outlets.

He and his family eventually moved to North Carolina, where he lived the rest of his life. His health began to decline in early 2020, and he was placed in hospice care. His parents explained that they knew it was likely for his health to decline and wanted to make sure he had several comfortable weeks surrounded by everyone who loved him. He passed away at the age of 5 and his parents took down his Facebook page soon after.

I was really surprised to read about her legal troubles, as she was doing very well financially and seems to have had a very good life (as she herself remarked in multiple interviews.) I will say, she was very beautiful and did have fantastic fashion taste.

Some facts about her:

-she was born in Basel, Switzerland.

-her family moved to Austria when she was still a young girl.

-recalling her childhood, she said that she hadn’t really considered how her physical difference would affect how she would play with other girls her age. It was only then that she realized that people would treat her differently.

-she learned to walk on her hands, and became very adept at it.

-she started her career at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1900.

-she immigrated to the United States in the early 1910s, and arranged to rent her own apartment.

-when asked if she ever felt upset at having no legs, she answered with:

“No. Please don't sympathize with me, a woman really does not need legs. I never had any and yet I can do almost anything that other people can do, and get along perfectly well without any legs. I get about my home perfectly well. I can move around about as fast as anybody else. I enjoy life just as much as others and in just about the same way.”

-she worked at the Dreamland Sideshow in Coney Island, New York where she found a good amount of success.

-she decided to go into vaudeville in 1912 and had a short career run at the Hammerstein Theater in NYC.

-at some point during her vaudeville career she was brought to court by her booking agent after walking out on her contract.

-after a four year long battle in court she was required to pay a $2000 fine (equivalent of around $59,445 adjusted for inflation).

-by 1920, she was working for Ringling Brothers Circus at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

-she was always wearing the latest fashions and as you can see from the pictures, was very dedicated to wearing corsets. She was also happy that she was saving money by not buying shoes or stockings.

-she wanted the press to know that she was born without any semblance of legs or feet, that her body stopped at the bottom of her torso/pelvis and she didn’t have any leg stumps.

-while at home she preferred sitting in rocking chairs.

-she became very wealthy through performing and spent a lot of money on her wardrobe. She enjoyed living an opulent lifestyle.

-she considered herself to be standing when she was fully upright and considered herself to be sitting when leaning against the back of a chair.

-she was known to be very charming and graceful and received numerous marriage proposals throughout the documented portion of her life.

-she met a businessman named John DeFuller in mid June of 1924, while she was working as a sideshow performer in New York. The two began a relationship and got married in early April of 1925 in Los Angeles, California.

-she and her husband decided to settle down in Venice, California near the Venice Beach pier.

-surprisingly, she left her husband and skipped town with $2,000 worth of jewelry and $100 in mid September of 1930. She disappeared from the public eye after this and I haven’t been able to find any information as to when she passed away.

I wish I knew more about the situation with her husband and what caused her to skip town, I’m sure there was more to it than what the newspapers I found said. Because there is so much unknown, it’s hard to know whose word to trust and what opinion to think. Either way, I think the circumstances are definitely interesting.

He was very handsome, and I really like the show costumes he wore, the style of velvet shirts with lace trims are very striking!

It’s so sweet that he and his wife had such a strong bond. I hope they had many happy years together. I also think the notes about him being such a skilled barber are very sweet, it’s clear that he was appreciated by the majority of people in his life, and that no one judged him for his physical difference.

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Copenhagen, New York.

-he had eight siblings.

-his family moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, when he was a young boy.

-he first found out how elastic his skin was in 1873 while he was working at a cotton mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. After discovering this about himself, he began stretching it as a funny gag for his friends at the cotton mill.

-he joined the Rhode Island Home Guards, Company A, in 1883. While a part of the Guards, he would demonstrate his skin elasticity for the other men there.

-he agreed to a contract with a showman named J.E. Sackett, who helped arrange venues for Thomas to perform at all over the United States and Europe in the mid 1880s.

-a couple years later (late 1880s) he was contacted by showman, Frank P. Stone, to work at Austin & Stone’s Dime Museum.

-he joined Barnum & Bailey circus in 1891, and while many performers would have joint performances together it was said that James preferred to sit alone a bit off to the side for his performances.

-he allowed audience members to pull at his skin to prove that it was real.

-at one point while on tour in Edinburgh, Scotland, he appeared at a medical lecture hosted by a Professor Jamieson. He quickly regretted his decision to let all 100 students stretch his skin, and near the end of the demonstration some of the students felt so badly for him (because he was clearly in pain) that they decided not to stretch his skin.

-he was accused and arrested for burglary in Williamsport, Virginia, but was soon released from custody when he was able to prove his innocence.

-his career in sideshows lasted over 25 years.

-during his time working for Barnum and Bailey Circus, he was tragically run over by a horse drawn carriage, which left him severely injured. It took him quite a while to recover.

-he was described as being very nonchalant while performing and stretching his skin.

-he was known as a very friendly and genial person who enjoyed making people laugh.

-he had a side gig as a barber to bring in extra money while working for Barnum and Bailey Circus, and had his own small tent set up to act as a barber shop. He was so skilled that he shaved and cut the hair of most of the men working in the circus, including James Anthony Bailey, as in the man who had partnered with P.T. Barnum.

-he attended a famous conference hosted by the sideshow performers working for Barnum & Bailey in 1899 while the circus was touring England. The performers present, including James, campaigned to get the term “Freak” removed from advertising and for them to be referred to as prodigies instead.

-it was during that same 1899 English tour that he met and and fell in love with a woman named Edith Clifford. The two of them got married in mid February of 1899.

-Edith took up sword swallowing so that she and Thomas could both perform in sideshows together.

-he and his wife’s career efforts paid off and they made a substantial amount of money.

-after the 1899 tour, he and his wife traveled to the United States, where they settled down and purchased a house in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where Thomas had grown up.

-he and his wife had two daughters together. One of his daughters inherited his Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and it appears that she had a short lived career as a sideshow performer as well.

-it was described that he could stretch his skin anywhere between 8 and 12 inches, although this was most likely exaggerated a little bit.

-there are several variations of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, all of which are connective tissue disorders. Currently there are 13 different diagnosable types. The two symptoms most commonly associated with the condition are skin elasticity and joint hyper mobility (although these symptoms are not present in all of the variations). The type that Thomas had causes extreme skin elasticity and extreme bruising.

-his performances typically consisted of him pulling the skin of his neck or chin and stretching it over his face.

-at the same conference as above, James had had a discussion with Sol Stone, a performer known for his extremely quick mental math skills, about whether or not performers with no visible physical differences should be able to have a say in the discussion, and James Morris explained how he felt that all should be welcome to have a say since other performers may have neurological differences that wouldn’t be apparent physically.

-he was often described as being the best “Elastic Skin Man” in show business and was very popular with audiences.

-he became very ill in September of 1909 and had to be transferred to Carney Hospital (now permanently closed) in Boston, Massachusetts for treatment.

-he passed away at the hospital in mid February of 1910. His death was listed as chronic nephritis.

-he was given a respectful funeral, which was held at his sister’s house in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. A large number of his friends and co-workers attended the mass that was held for him at St. Mary’s Church. He was buried in Mt. St. Mary’s Cemetery.

-it appears Edith, his wife, continued her career as a sword swallower up through the 1920s.

It’s tragic that he passed away relatively young, and with a loving family and two young children at that. Though it’s nice that he at least lived a very full life and seems to have had a good sense of humor. I’m also glad that with the money he and his wife saved up, his family was most likely able to live a financially stable life even after his death.

As I said in the title, not much is known about her life, however she did have quite an extensive career working at different dime museums (permanent venues that sideshow performers could perform at without needing to constantly travel), because she hopped around to quite a few different venues.

I love all the frills and intricate details on her dress, I wish I knew what color it was!

Some facts about her:

-she reportedly weighed 40 pounds when she was 23 years old.

-Cachexia is a condition that causes significant weight loss and muscle loss.

-she was frequently referred to as “the phantom lady” in promotional articles. This type of stage name was usually used for performers who had skin that was so thin that when a light was shone through, audiences could see objects on the other side.

-she was a talented guitar player.

-she made her first appearance at The Dime Museum in Kansas City, Missouri in late October of 1884.

-she appeared at Forepaugh’s
Dime Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in mid December of 1884.

-she appeared at Broadway and Treyser’s Palace Museum in early March of 1887. (George Williams also worked there at the same time)

-she was described as enjoying good health.

-she appeared at Eugene Robinson’s Dime Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana in early April of 1887.

-she appeared at Kohl and Middleton's South Side Dime Museum in mid August of 1889.

-her sideshow career lasted from 1884 to 1889.

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

Despite the lack of information, I’m glad that there is a verified picture of her. I hope she got to spend many happy years playing the guitar and that she was able to have a nice life during her retirement. I also hope more information

Charlotte Linda Vogel (aka Susie) was a German-American sideshow performer who was born with a form of ichthyosis, which caused her skin to thicken/harden and crack, which meant she had to keep it extremely moisturized. She was described as a kind, introverted, and sensitive person. She was devoted to her parents who had helped her find a way to manage her condition and give her a better quality of life. She spoke seven languages, was one of the top billed performers at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and was known to always dress fashionably.

Their stories are similar to that of Ólöf Krarer, another sideshow performer who was born with dwarfism and presented herself as being Inuit, although Olof was way more vocal about it and successfully influenced how Americans perceived the Inuit community for quite some time afterwards.

Frank and Sarah were both very striking people, and it’s unfortunate that they depended on stereotypes in order to market themselves. There’s something especially striking about the first picture and the second picture, which is why I’m adding both of those first. The fourth picture shows them wearing inaccurate “traditional” “Inuit” clothing.

Some facts about them:

-Frank was born in Hammond Lake, Indiana.

-when Frank was still a boy, he was taken under the wing of showman, George Gilbert, who lived in nearby Kendalville, Indiana. Frank soon went to live with George in Kendalville and appeared began appearing in the circus that George owned and operated.

-at some point in the 1870s, Frank married a woman named Mary McDougall (who went my Molly), Mary was also born with dwarfism, and performed alongside Frank during his sideshow acts.

-by 1881, Frank and Mary had divorced and Mary went on to get married to another performer. (Sadly, it appears that Mary passed away during childbirth in 1882).

-at some point in the mid 1880s, Frank rebranded himself as an Inuit chief, calling himself “Chief Debro” in order to try and take advantage of the public interest in communities and cultures that were deemed “foreign and exotic” by western audiences.

-Frank grew his hair out, sported a beard, and often dressed in fur garments as part of his “Inuit chief” look.

-in the early 1890s, Frank joined with Ringling Brothers Circus, which is where he met his soon-to-be second wife, Sarah Harlor. Sarah began appearing in Frank’s act as “Princess Sarah”, an Inuit Princess, which plays into the exoticism of the “Indian Princess” trope. The “Indian Princess” trope is a harmful stereotype that was pushed on Indigenous communities and romanticized and exoticised Indigenous women.

-Sarah was born in New Haven, Indiana.

-she had 3 siblings.

-Sarah first began her sideshow career when she was 12 years old.

-children were encouraged to watch Frank and Sarah’s act/lecture, as the performances were seen as educational.

-by 1903, Frank and Sarah were working for Campbell Bros. Circus.

-in 1906, they worked for Norris & Rowe Shows.

-Frank would frequently give lectures as his chief persona about (fake) cultural traditions that the Inuit community took part in. All of the “cultural traditions” he talked about were either highly exaggerated or flat out lies.

-Frank worked in circuses for almost 60 years, while Sarah worked circuses for almost 40 years.

-Frank and Sarah purchased a permanent residence in Kendalville, Indiana, where they would live during the circus/sideshow off season.

-despite using their stage names for much of their professional careers, Newspapers knew their Inuit personas were fake and frequently referred to them by their real names.

-in addition to Frank and Sarah working in traveling sideshows, they also worked in several dime museums. Dime museums were permanent venues for sideshow performers to work at in cities and large towns.

-in addition to being promoted as an Inuit chief, Frank was occasionally promoted as being a part of the indigenous community in Madagascar.

-in 1910, Frank and Sarah were forced to pawn off some of their jewelry when Norris & Rowe shows went bankrupt in Newport, Kentucky and ended up in the hands of a receiver. The two of them left under contract, and at the time the article was written they had not been paid for 5 weeks.

-in 1912, they were working for Mighty Haag Circus.

-in 1915, they were working for The Gollmar Show.

-they both continued working in circuses/sideshows for several years until 1921, when Frank experienced paralysis that left him bed bound for the rest of his life. He and Sarah both retired and moved from Kendalville, Indiana to New Haven, Indiana.

-as soon as they retired they dropped their Inuit personas.

-Frank was a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge (similar to a Masonic Lodge).

-he passed away in 1924 at the age of 72.

-Sarah eventually remarried, this time to a man named Seymour Bernard Flood.

-Sarah and Seymour continued living in New Haven, Indiana, until her death in 1945 and Seymour’s death a year later.

I wish Frank and Sarah hadn’t felt the need to rely on a fake backstory to market themselves, although I am glad that they dropped the personas as soon as they retired and didn’t continue to try and market themselves as being from a culture they were not a part of. As with the case of Ólöf Krarer, I’m sure Frank and Sarah could have found some other way to market themselves without leaning into stereotypes.

There are a bunch of great pictures of the two of them hanging out together, but the one I’ve posted is a “new” one that I haven’t seen before.

Jack Earle was an actor, sideshow performer, poet, and artist who had a pituitary gland disorder that caused him to grow upwards of 7 feet 6 inches. He enjoyed creative and fulfilling hobbies including writing poetry and gardening. Before starting a career as a sideshow performer, he had a successful career as an actor in some smaller budget films. After his years working in sideshows, he took up a job working as an advertiser and salesman for the Roma Wine Company. He was described as being a kind, generous, and humble person.

Clarence Chesterfield Howerton was a sideshow and vaudeville performer and actor who was born with a form of dwarfism. He was performing on vaudeville stages as a young child and joined Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus when he was 10 years old. He was often paired with performers who were very tall, which is how he met Jack Earle, and befriended many of his co-performers. He had a 25 year career in sideshows and circuses. He went on to appear in several films throughout the 1930s, including Sealskins (1932), Free Eats (1932), and The Wizard of Oz (1939).

I want to mention that the second picture shows their death cast, which is why they look doll-like, it does not show the twins deceased.

They both look adorable in the first picture and I’m glad that so many people had so many good things to say about them. I hope they had many happy months with their family and were shown lots of love.💖

Some facts about them:

-they were born in Peru, Morrow County, Ohio.

-their father was a Civil War veteran, who it is remarked, never skipped a day of training or work due to sickness.

-their mother was described as being robust and independent.

-they had 4 siblings. They also had 2 more siblings who were born a couple years after the twins passed away.

-they weighed 12 pounds at birth.

-they were connected at their stomachs, with two of their legs extending in front of them, and a fused third leg extending behind them.

-they were exhibited by their parents as a way to earn money for their upbringing, and were first exhibited when they were 5 months old.

-the twins were not always on the same schedule, there were often times where one would be napping and the other was awake and wanted to play.

-Dr. H Besse of Delaware, Ohio became their primary doctor. He would go on to write a paper about conjoined twins and featured the sisters.

-they were described as being cheerful, bright, and lively babies.

-they traveled with their parents to Urbana, Ohio in January of 1871 and stayed at a house owned by the Weaver family.

-newspapers that reported on them while they were staying in Urbana, Ohio made sure to mention that people curious to meet the twins should not be afraid or scared at seeing their condition as they were very much average babies. In particular, the Urbana Citizen and Gazette had this to say about them:

“They are pretty, and their faces are far above the average in their show of intelligence and activity of the mind. They give only the appearance of two sweet babes cradled together with heads lying in an opposite direction, and when the union of the two bodies is exhibited the looker-on is at once relieved of all suspense in regard to the expected repulsiveness of the Double Babes.”

-they were exhibited at Aulenbach’s Hall Dime Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania in May of 1871.

-one of the twins was more prone to sleeping than the other one, but it was never specified which sister.

-Minnie enjoyed sucking her thumb.

-they were exhibited in several major cities in the United States, but unfortunately while appearing in Boston, Massachusetts, Mina came down with a severe form of infant gastroenteritis.

-the infant gastroenteritis quickly spread to Minnie, and the two girls tragically passed away only a couple days after Mina had originally gotten sick, they were only 9 months old. The illness was often fatal and very common at the time, having more recently been discovered to have been caused by contaminated milk products and/or poor sanitation.

-after their deaths, their parents chose to keep their bodies in a glass coffin before giving them a respectful burial.

-a joint gravestone was made to honor the twins and their mother after their mother’s death in 1910.

Something about them being buried in a glass coffin is very touching, and I’m very glad that they are buried next to their mother. I like that there were little details mentioned in the news articles I found, like how one enjoyed sleeping more and how Minnie enjoyed sucking her thumb, it gives a better understanding of their personalities than solely being seen as a medical case study.

I’ll add their Find a Grave Listing in the comments.

I really love The Little Mermaid, and since I’m very fond of the illustrations for this tale, here are various illustrations of the same story from different eras. :)

Forgive me, I didn't arrange them in chronological order.

illustrations featured:

- The Little Mermaid, Anton Lomaev ( 2009)

- The Little Mermaid, Walter Crane ( 1870-1880)

- The Little Mermaid, Harry Clarke (1916)

- The Little Mermaid, Elenore Plaisted Abbott ( 1922)

- The Little Mermaid, Benjamin Lacombe ( 2023)

- The Little Mermaid, Ivan Bilibine ( 1937)

- The Llittle Mermaid, Edmund Dulac ( 1911)

- The Little Mermaid, Margaret Terrant ( 1910)

- The Little Mermaid, Yan D'Argent ( 1875)

- The Little Mermaid, Helen Stratton ( 1899)

- The Little Mermaid, Christian Birmingham ( 2009)

- The Little Mermaid, Makoto Takahashi (1982)

It's interesting to think that for the same fairy tale, there are so many different perspectives and artistic choices. :)

Of course, many artists have illustrated this tale; I couldn't show everything. :)

Emmitt was an American sideshow performer who was born with a form of Ichthyosis (which caused his skin to thicken and harden and painfully crack, he had to keep it well hydrated and moisturized to manage his condition). He was adopted by showman, Johnny Bejano when he was around 8 or 9 years old after his father, Jackson Driggers, passed away. While working in sideshows he met and quickly fell in love with Percilla Lauther, a sideshow performer who was born with hyperdontia (extra teeth) and hirsutism (which caused her to grow a beard). He and Percilla went on to get married and continued with their sideshow careers for decades. They were both featured in the film Carney (1980) as well as the documentaries Being Different (1981) and Sideshow: Alive on the Inside (1996). Emmitt and Percilla went on to perform in their own traveling family show with their son, Tony. They retired to their ranch house in Florida and lived there until their deaths.

It felt like it took so long (like 20 minutes) to find clear pictures of her wearing her bird girl outfit! So many of the pictures online are blurry, but after checking through some past auction listings, I was finally able to track down a couple! The costumes she’s wearing in the first couple of pictures looks like it would be incredibly fun to dance around in! The third picture is from her appearance in Freaks.

She comes across as being a very fun and relaxed person, I would have loved to have met her! She was an incredibly productive person and definitely kept herself very busy throughout her life. I’m so glad she appeared in Freaks (1932) as her legacy lives on through her appearance there, she also lived long enough to see the public’s opinion change on the film, with overall more people appreciating the effort that all of the filmmakers and actors put into it.

Some facts about her:

-she was born in Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts.

-her parents were Russian immigrants.

-her father worked as a shoe salesman.

-she had eight siblings.

-she was born with a genetic condition that affected her appearance, but was never formally diagnosed.

-she was known as a lighthearted person with a good sense of humor.

-by the early 1920s, she and her family had moved to Springfield, Massachusetts.

-she initially got her start in sideshows when she attended Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus while it was touring through New Jersey in the mid 1920s (where Elizabeth was visiting). Her appearance was just different looking enough that sideshow manager, Clyde Ingalls, approached her and asked if she’d like to work there for $75 a week. She ended up agreeing and that’s when her “bird girl” performance act originated.

-her "Bird Girl" ensemble consisted of a feathered body suit, chicken feet-esque shoes, and a long feather that she wore on the top of her head. The sides of her head were shaved and she tied the rest of her hair up in a top knot for her performances.

-she was promoted as being first and foremost a comedian during her career.

-she was described as having an aptitude for business and was very successful with her financial investments.

-her agent once described her by saying:
"She may be koo koo enough to be able to make people laugh, but she's not koo koo when it comes to signing contracts."

-she appeared in the 1932 Tod Browning film, Freaks, where she pretty much played herself. She’s featured most prominently in two scenes, one where she excitedly runs to Phroso the Clown (played by Wallace Ford) to tell him that the “bearded lady” (played by Jane Barnell)’s baby was born, and the other is when she’s talking to Frances O’Connor over dinner and complains that there’s been a man following her from the last town because if he shows up again there will be a fight.

-she expressed that she was thrilled to be featured in the film, since she was a huge fan of movies. She also had a bit of an ulterior motive for appearing in Freaks (1932), as it gave her access to the MGM backlot, where she hoped she’d run into her favorite actors so she could add their autographs to her collection (in an article from November of 1931, it was described that she already had an extensive collection of autographs). She was hoping to acquire actor Ronald Colman’s autograph, though there was no follow up on if she was successful.

-she and fellow Freaks actress, Minnie Woolsey, both used the stage name "Koo Koo the Bird Girl" at different points in their careers (with some overlap) Many people to this day continue to get mixed up on which actress was the one performing as “Koo Koo" in Freaks (1932), but this was definitely Minnie. Elizabeth’s official billing in the film was as “The Stork Woman”, though both actresses wore very similar costumes.

-she was often called “The Original Koo Koo the Bird Girl” after the release of Freaks (1932), since Minnie Woolsey was credited as “Koo Koo” in the film and reporters didn’t want readers to be confused.

-she invested a good amount of money into real estate, and by the time she appeared in Freaks (1932), she already owned five large apartment houses in Boston, Massachusetts that she rented out (keep in mind she was only around 27 years old at the time) She also managed the properties when she wasn’t touring in sideshows.

-she appeared at the International Congress of Oddities Sideshow in Anderson, Indiana in 1940. Her work days there went from 10am to 11pm at night.

-she worked with Cole Brothers Circus during her later career.

-she eventually retired from circus/sideshow work and moved back to Springfield, Massachusetts to be closer to her siblings.

-she worked at a local Goodwill donation center in Springfield during her later years.

-she outlived all of her siblings and moved into The Leavitt Family Jewish Home, an assisted living facility in Springfield, Massachusetts.

-she passed away at the age of 95, and was given a respectful funeral and burial that was attended by her four nieces and several friends. She was buried at Beth Israel Cemetery in West Springfield.

I’m glad she lived such a long and happy life, she seems like a lovely person who’d be so much fun to hang out with! I’m glad she found so much success with her real estate investing and other business endeavors, it’s so cool that she was a businesswoman! I also hope she was able to get Ronald Colman’s autograph, I know the feeling of desperately wanting to add a specific item to my collection, but having no easy way to acquire it.

What’s even worse is the bear keeper intentionally provoked the bear further to get it to kill Daniel’s dog, because he thought the dog was a nuisance for barking at the bear and was angry that Daniel’s dog had tried to lunge at the bear.

Raising dogs was one of Daniel’s favorite things in life, so when anyone tried anything to harm his dogs, he would jump in to protect them. I’m glad that ultimately his dog was safe, but the whole story is still sad for the bear.

If anyone’s to blame for the whole incident, it’s the bear keeper for provoking the bear and intentionally trying to make it kill the dog. I also feel for the poor bear, who most likely suffered a lot of abuse. It’s also a wild animal, they have instincts to attack what they perceive to be a threat.

It goes to show that people throughout history have always had devoted pets that they would do anything to ensure they stayed safe.

Daniel Lambert was a famous British personality and historical figure who began gaining a lot of weight in his teen years (most likely from a pituitary gland disorder), his peak weight was over 700 pounds, which during the early 1800s was extremely rare. He was an avid swimmer and dog breeder. He cared a lot for dogs and horses and became saddened when he could no longer ride his horses. He reluctantly began exhibiting himself in order to make a living after the prison he had previously worked at shut down. Everyone described him as being friendly, charming, and sociable.
Visitors who originally went to gawk walked away with an extreme respect for him. Contemporaries of him explained that Daniel made friends wherever he went.

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.

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.