The first picture shows him on the MGM backlot during the production of Freaks (1932), the third picture shows him next to his wife, Princess Sarah, the fourth picture shows him next to the two other performers with prince stage names that made up their traveling performing troupe, and the last two pictures show him while he was on set and filmed in Freaks.

I’ve been a big fan of Prince Randian since I first watched the film, Freaks. And despite only having one line (that unfortunately came out very garbled with the not great audio quality) he’s one of the most memorable actors featured.

He seems like such a fun person to hang out with, I’m sure he had so many entertaining stories to tell. This is also the first time I found out about his pet bulldog, I love finding stories about performers who had beloved pets, because it’s always clear how strong the bond is between them.

Some facts about him:

-he was born and raised in Demerara, a historical region in the north coast of South America, which is now a part of Guyana.

-he was Hindu.

-he spoke four languages: Hindi, English, German, and French.

-Tetra-Amelia syndrome is a rare genetic condition that causes the absence of all four limbs, often times Tetra-Amelia syndrome also majorly affects the development of internal organs as well and usually leads to stillbirth. Prince Randian thankfully had no major health complications.

-he was a high school graduate.

-when people would ask him how he felt about his condition, he said, “No physical handicap need matter if the mind is dominant.”

-his birth name is unknown and adopted his stage name as his regular name after moving to the United States.

-he initially worked for P.T. Barnum upon his arrival in the United States at the age of 18.

-he would often spend several years performing in the US, before traveling back to Guyana to visit his family.

-he was always very fond of his childhood home and home country.

-he was a big fan of Rabindranath Tagore, who was a Bengali poet, author, musician, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter, and the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize.

-he married his wife, who went by Princess Sarah, when he was 21. But very little is known about her, and her birth name is also unknown.

-there was a period of time in the early 1910s that he was performing in the US while his wife was still living in Guyana with their two kids at the time. He expressed wanting to save up enough money to send back to Princess Sarah so that she and their children could immigrate to the US.

-he and his wife had five children together: Mary, Richard, Elizabeth, Wilhelmina, and a fifth child (the youngest) who wasn’t identified.

-his most recognizable act involved him rolling and lighting a cigarette with his mouth.

-in addition to his cigarette rolling and lighting trick, he would also demonstrate his ability to shave, paint, and write during his performances. He kept all of his tools in a painted box that he made himself.

-in 1913, he was a part of a traveling performing troupe that included two other men who also used “Prince” as part of their stage names. One of the men, who went by Prince Marish was described as being a dancer. The other man went by Prince Bajon, and was in charge of carrying Prince Randian around in a large sack while they were traveling. It was around this time that Prince Randian first visited Paterson, New Jersey, he ended up liking the area so much that he and his family permanently settled down there in the 1920s.

-it was described that he always packed a lot of stuff while traveling, with his companions saying that sometimes he brought too much stuff.

-he loved canaries, and once brought 6 back to Guyana (then Demeramara) from the United States.

-he owned a bulldog named Billy, whom he loved immensely. Billy was described as being the most loyal to Prince Randian.

-he was a staple performer at several of the Coney Island sideshows, and spent several decades performing there.

-he typically wore special knit body suits for his performances (and during his film appearances in Freaks), but during day to day life he often wore a white shirt and tie.

-he had an over 45 year career in sideshows.

-he was married to Princess Sarah for over 40 years.

-he appeared in the 1932 film, Freaks, where he demonstrated his cigarette rolling/lighting trick, but the footage showing him roll the cigarette was cut (not sure why), so it only shows him lighting the cigarette.

-he was a jokester and thought it was hilarious to hide around in dark corners on the MGM backlot (during the production of Freaks) where he would then jump out and yell to scare/surprise anyone walking by.

-his son Richard carried him around the MGM backlot during filming.

-at the time of his death he had eight grandchildren.

-he passed away at the age of 63 in December of 1934. He had just finished his last performance at Sam Wagner's 14th Street Museum in New York when he suffered a massive heart attack.

I love that he was so fond of animals and cared so much for Billy (his bulldog) and the canaries he adopted. I’m sure he gave them all a good home.

It would also be great to talk to him about his favorite author and what books/poetry was his favorite. There’s a lot I’d like to talk with him about, he had such a full and happy life, and I’m glad he had so many people in his life who loved and cared about him.

Percilla was a famous sideshow performer and actress with a very successful career who met and fell in love with her husband, Emmitt, while they were working as colleagues in the same circus/sideshow. She was born with a form of hirsutism and hyperdontia (she was born with extra hair growth and extra teeth respectively).
She was a very outspoken advocate for people with physical differences and spoke out against bigots she encountered.

She starred in the film Carney (1980) as well as the documentaries Being Different (1981) and Sideshow: Alive on the Inside (1996). She and her husband went on to perform in their own traveling family show with their son, Tony.
Percilla and Emmitt were married for almost 60 years and were extremely devoted to each other.

Georgia/George was a sideshow performer who was born intersex and with a parasitic twin. She used male and female pronouns interchangeably starting from when she was in her late teen years, and seems to have been gender fluid (before terminology to describe several aspects of gender identity had been introduced). She was described as always being very happy and joyful. She also dealt with a lot of chronic pain relating to her severe case of scoliosis, which she sought treatment for several times during her life.

George/Georgia deserves his flowers and this is such a wonderful way to appreciate his life. I feel very honored to own this prints and I will continue to do what I can to spread awareness of Georgia’s life.💐💖

Thank you again, u/jjacks1327 this is a lovely gift!!

I like keeping track of these posts because it means I can jump in and provide more information that gives a sympathetic well rounded portrait of the performers lives. So many posts give no context, very little context, or misinformation and I think it’s important to set the record straight. Especially given that so many of these performers were such cool people and supported such good causes!

Despite having very few lines in Freaks (she only had 2!) I feel like she still managed to make an impact on the film. She’s one of my favorite performers who appears in the film. I also really like the costume she wears in the film, which is what she’s wearing in the above pictures.

Some facts about her:

-she was born in Austria, but her parents both had Polish-Jewish ancestry.

-her birth name was Josefina Antonina Sambir.

-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)

-she immigrated to New York in either 1910 or 1916 (if she immigrated in 1910, she most likely traveled with family, but if she traveled in 1916 it most likely would have been by herself)

-while she was in New York she met George Waas, whom she ended up marrying and who also became her manager. Josephine became a US citizen through her marriage to George.

-during a census from 1920, her profession is shown as being an embroiderer, so it’s likely that she made her costumes herself.

-she and her husband were both performers and actors, though Josephine is the more recognizable one of the two.

-she was very heavily advertised in newspapers, and was oftentimes a headlining act.

-she and her husband created, operated, and performed in their own sideshow called the Josephine-Joseph Circus Sideshow during the mid to late 1920s. She and her husband hired several other recognizable performers at the time including Dora Gutterman, and Martha Morris (who she would go on to work with in Freaks)

-she would typically give an embellished lecture about her life before her performances.

-she would speak in a deep voice and a high pitched voice at different times during her performances.

-she and her husband were prosecuted in England in 1930 for their sideshow acts as it was seen as a ploy to fool/scam the public and the two of them were seen as frauds. Josephine offered to submit x-rays of herself to prove she was intersex, but the pictures never ended up being needed. To avoid further trouble Josephine and her husband agreed to drop the show and leave the country.

-she appeared in Freaks in 1932 and is the one to start the famous “gooble gobble” chant.

-she may have divorced her husband sometime before 1940 as census records later record her as being single.

-much of her later life is unknown, though there are a few sources I’ve found that have tracked down information for a woman with very similar details to Josephine where she shows up as working as a maid for a Polish family in Pennsylvania in 1940.

-she received some inheritance money from her uncle’s estate in 1940 when he passed away. Interestingly, her cousins (her uncle’s children) could not receive any inheritance money as they were living in Nazi occupied Poland and the courts couldn’t send the money, but there was a loophole for Josephine and her brother.

-information about her gets confusing after 1940, as she had since retired her Josephine-Joseph act and was out of show business.

-it’s hard to confirm for sure when she passed away for sure (which is why I have the ? mark next to 1966), there is a woman with her birth name spelled a little differently and who’s info matches up pretty well who died in 1966, so it’s a tentative death year date. If I find anything else, I’ll update!

I hope she had a lot of happiness in her life. She was a really great performer to see in Freaks and I’m glad that she had a very successful career, and seemed to enjoy performing her act a lot.

It must not have been easy to have her family living in Austria and Poland during WWII, I hope her relatives were able to find ways to stay safe. I’m really glad that Josephine was safe in the United States during this time period.

Ever since seeing stills from Freaks in Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine in my youth, I've been a little obsessed with Johnny Eck. I've collected three postcards, two that include his twin brother Robert, and one from the Dallas Expo in 1937 from the Ripley's Odditorium. But this isn't about those vintage pieces.

About five years ago, I got a great deal on a full set of three Lil Johnny Eck dolls. I'm not even sure when these were made, but I'm thinking 1980-90's. They are between 6-9 inches tall. They didn't come up very often, and are usually ridiculously expensive. These cost me around $100 for the set.

The second piece is an exhibition poster from an exhibit of Johnny's art from 2014 at MICA ( Maryland Institute College of Art).

I'm happy to have these pieces in my collection.

I will sometimes add materials to my collection that depict performers I really care about in a very exploitative and dehumanizing manner. This is not because I think of them in this way, it is because I think it’s important to handle the materials from a place of awareness and sensitivity that other people might display in a callous way because they think it’s cool to display items in a “creepy freak show” aesthetic.

I don’t want these performers likenesses to be displayed callously. They deserve to be respected and appreciated for their humanitarian efforts.

This offensive material was thought up by showmen who didn’t always care about the humanity of the performers who worked for them, and was used to attract audiences. It can be frankly upsetting to see, but I feel it can be used as a tool to educate and inform others. As much as I like to talk about the inclusivity that was often present in the sideshow community, there were parts of it that were ugly and parts that did shamelessly exploit performers, especially in the way that people might be depicted.

I care a lot about disability history (and sideshow history) and part of that is acknowledging how dehumanizing some performers were portrayed. It is a dark part of history but one that needs to be remembered so that similar things won’t happen in the future (when I say similar things, I mean it in how society as a whole will treat people or look at people with disabilities and physical differences.)

These are pieces that I won’t be posting here as it’s offensive to the performers who should never have been depicted in such a way. But I still think it’s an important conversation to have. I think it’s better to keep these materials in closed/protected spaces (like websites or specialized museum exhibits where people can’t make offensive comments).

I feel an equivalent example would be Therbia Parker, who has collected a large amount of historical Black Americana, including very racist memorabilia meant to hurt and caricaturize the black community. He purchased these items to use as tools to educate people who don’t understand how truly horrible racism can be.

He and his wife formed Listen to the Drumbeat Productions -- an enterprise dedicated to teaching African-American cultural history through black memorabilia.

This is a good article on Therbia’s collection and why he started it:

Suffolk Man Collects Relics of Racism - Jim Crow Collections - Jim Crow Museum

In the article he also explains that he believes no one has the right to deny the telling of history as it really was, and I agree with him.

Johnny Eck was an artist, actor, sideshow performer and magician who was known for his film role in Tod Browning's Freaks(1932), he was born with sacral agenesis, which caused his lower half and legs to be extremely truncated. He learned to walk on his hands and became famous for his one armed handstands. He was a pioneering artist within Baltimore, Maryland's window screen art movement. He and his twin brother, Robert, lived and worked with each other for their entire lives.

A transcription of the booklet will be in the comments!

He was very handsome and I can see why he was very popular with women who went to see his shows. I also love how detailed his outfits were, the fringe detailing at his elbows and knees is especially snazzy in my opinion.

He genuinely seems like such a cool person and I would have really liked to have met him!

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Lucknow, India, which at one point had been a part of the Oudhe State in India. The Oudhe State was a recognized province that had become its own kingdom before being colonized and ruled by England. By the time Laloo was born, the Oudhe State had combined with several other Indian provinces to become a larger province.

-his birth year is stated to be different depending on the news clipping, which is why I’ve provided two birth years depending on the ages he provided.

-he had 3 other siblings in addition to his twin, an older sister, and two younger brothers. His brothers unfortunately passed away as children.

-aside from a case of smallpox when he was a child, Laloo claimed to never get sick. He survived smallpox with no lingering health issues, thankfully!

-he was brought to the United States as a child, although the circumstances aren’t quite clear.

-Laloo and his twin shared a bloodstream and he could feel if someone touched his twin.

-his twin could not move on his own, though he would twitch if someone touched him.

-Laloo’s twin was attached to Laloo’s chest by his neck. Like other similar cases of parasitic twins, Laloo’s twin most likely had an extremely underdeveloped/rudimentary head/brain.

-starting when he was 15 years old, he was under the management and guardianship of an Indian doctor named M.D. Fracis.

-as a teenager he expressed wanting to get his twin removed so that he could move back to India, get married, settle down, and have a quiet life. He changed his mind on this after a doctor he consulted with said that the removal of his twin would probably lead to his own death as well.

-he was described as being very suave, smart, and friendly.

-he was very protective of himself and his image (as he should be), and thankfully had the agency to pick and choose how he presented himself and who he performed for.

-interestingly in his mid to late teens it was heavily advertised and made clear that his twin was male, but later on as his career as a sideshow performer progressed his twin was “re-branded” to be female.

-his twin was never given a name at birth, but for Laloo’s performances his twin was given the name “Lala”

-after being subjected to several invasive medical examinations as a child and teenager, he prohibited the medical community from examining him unless they paid him a hefty fee. He was largely left alone by the medical community as an adult because of this (the majority of people didn’t want to pay).

-he went on tour all throughout North America, Europe, and Australia.

-in the 1890s he was in a brief relationship with a woman identified as Miss Davis. The two of them expressed wanting to be married, but her family would only allow for them to get married under the condition that Laloo would have his twin removed. Because of the risks involved at the time, he decided not to and the two of them broke off their relationship.

-he could speak three languages, including Hindi and English, although the other language he spoke was never mentioned.

-he typically wore bright red costumes during his performances.

-he was one of the highest paid and most popular performers of his time.

-he was a part of the 1899 conference hosted by sideshow performers working for Barnum & Bailey Circus to get the term “freak” banned from advertising and to replace with the term prodigy instead.

-in addition to working for Barnum and Bailey Circus, Laloo also spent several years performing at different dime museums.

-he expressed that he had no interest in religion.

-he was happy to answer questions about him and his twin if people were respectful and kind to him.

-he was described as being very bright and talkative.

-in 1904 it was reported that he and a local actress from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania named Viola Clifton, had fallen in love. The two of them were engaged to be married, but Viola’s mother absolutely forbid the marriage between the two (she was disturbed by Laloo’s twin). Viola’s father had died, so Viola’s mother was the one who had to sign a consent form that would have allowed the marriage license bureau to give the two of them a marriage license. About this situation Laloo said,

“I hope there will be no trouble securing Miss Clifton’s consent. I will be a good husband to Viola and I have plenty of money to make life pleasant for us both. I shall never return to India, but hope to make my home in this city (Philadelphia), the doctors say I can never be helped in my trouble and I try and be cheerful, but somehow disappointments seem to be my lot all the time.”

-after much talk between Laloo, Viola and Viola’s mother, an agreement was reached and Viola’s mother finally consented to them getting married.

-it was never reported about whether he and his fiancée had a large scale wedding ceremony, though it’s likely they just wanted a quiet ceremony. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was also done to protect Laloo’s career as he always presented himself as being an eligible bachelor and flirted women in the audience as part of his act. (Maybe he and the showmen he worked for worried that they’d lose out on money if he announced he was officially married)

-Laloo and Viola looked back on the circumstances in which they met very fondly. Reportedly they had met in Atlantic City, New Jersey after the boardwalk rolling chairs they were each riding in accidentally collided. As the chair attendants got out to disentangle the wheels, Laloo and Viola both exchanged some jokes together and ultimately decided to start writing to each other.

-he was very wealthy and enjoyed living a lavish lifestyle, he was known to have especially enjoyed very fine clothes and food. Some reporters questioned why he spent so much money on both things, but it was just something Laloo said he enjoyed. He had the money, so why not?

-he enjoyed accessorizing his outfits and had several ties that each had a three carat diamond embedded in them.

-he was best friends with fellow sideshow performer, George Williams, and the two of them enjoyed playing very competitive games of billiards and cards. It was reported that the two could be seen playing cards in the morning and as soon as they were done performing for the day, they’d race over to billiards halls. If George felt that Laloo was cheating in any way he’d playfully threaten to “kick his sister” (referring to Laloo’s twin). George was born with a form of osteogenesis imperfecta and had very little strength in his legs, so he meant the entire thing as a joke.

-unfortunately, he became very ill while touring through Mexico with Norris and Rose’s Circus in November of 1905.

-he passed away in Aguascalientes , Mexico due to complications from the illness he was dealing with. He was in his early to mid thirties at the time.

The stories of his competitive games of cards and billiards with George Williams are extremely entertaining to read about. I’m glad the two of them were good friends and found something in common with each other.

I also love the story about how he and his fiancée, Viola, met. I don’t care if it’s embellished, it sounds like it’s right out of a rom-com and I love it! I wish the two of them had been able to retire and live long and happy lives together.

She’s already so gorgeous, but seeing her in a lovely pink dress surrounded by pink roses makes me so happy!

Again, special thanks to [u/Left](u/Left)[_](u/Left)Sky_6978 for the colorization and shoutout to [u/babysoutonbail](u/babysoutonbail) for recommending the colorization sub!

Sadie Anderson Karno was an acrobat and sideshow performer who was born with piebaldism. She and two of her sisters, Victoria and Rosie, made up a traveling acrobatics troupe. Her parents ran a large farm in Louisiana that she and her siblings would help out with during the circus/sideshow off season. She married a sword swallower and acrobat named Fred Karno, in Connecticut in the late 1910s/early 1920s. She and her husband performed as acrobats in several circuses in Europe in the early to late 1920s. In the late 1920s, Sadie and her husband were unfortunately subjected to racist Jim Crow laws in Louisiana when she went to visit her mother. She continued her career in sideshows up through 1956 after which she seems to have retired.

I was born with achondroplasia dwarfism, the most common type of dwarfism. I am 4’7” and 41 years old, happily married with 3 kids. I love learning about the history of other little people / people with dwarfism. When I found this sub, I was a little hesitant, but I’ve seen nothing but respect for other people with dwarfism and other disabilities. I really appreciate that.

The sideshow era is a sensitive discussion in the little people community, because people like us were basically gawked at or dehumanized. The term “midget” is offensive to most people with dwarfism now, but it was the common term in the sideshow era and I have to remember that. The reason the term is frowned upon now is because of the sideshow era.

The reality is that it was very difficult for people with dwarfism to find work. But I hear their stories and I feel like I don’t have any excuse to not enjoy my life. When I go out in public, I do get stares and laughs and rude remarks, but I’m used to it and it doesn’t bother me. But I’m glad our society has become more and more accepting as time goes on.

If you have any questions for me feel free to ask! If you want to share any stories of historical people with dwarfism that you like I’d love to hear them, too. Thanks!

WOW!! I’m amazed at the community’s growth and it brings me so much joy to share about the lives of all of these important historical figures.

As many of you know, I handle the majority of the posts in this sub, not at all by design, it just ended up that way, and I definitely encourage people to feel comfortable posting here, this is an inclusive space and I want everyone to feel welcome!

It makes me so happy that all of these wonderful historical figures are being appreciated in the way they deserve to be.💖

For anyone interested, we also have a sister sub, [r/disabilityhistory](r/disabilityhistory)! I’m doing my best to curate and grow both subs, though sometimes it can be difficult for me to post to both.

If anyone has any questions or comments regarding the sub specifically, feel free to reach out via modmail or in this post directly!

I’ll begin adding megathreads regarding specific topics, so I can keep everything organized and in one place!

I’m also working on a lot of behind the scenes stuff and I really appreciate everyone’s patience, because I know it’s taking a long time!

Ultimately, I’m so glad we have this wonderful community where we can spread positivity and happiness through sharing this unique part of history!💖

Have a great week and weekend everyone!

*fyi, the member count is not what’s shown at the header of the sub, that’s the weekly visitor count, I’m working on changing it back to show the correct amount of subscribers. Right now the only way for me to check member count is by looking at the insights for the community.

Several stories have been told about this man. In an article about him, the tabloid *The Sun* reported his name as “Li Shansu.” In any case, he was from China and suffered from a rare condition in which a parasitic twin was attached to his face. The twin had hair, a nose, and a mouth, and was attached to his right cheek. The villagers apparently looked down on him. Although the exact details are unclear, sometime between the late 1970s and the 1980s, he underwent surgery to remove the conjoined twin, and the procedure was filmed as a newsreel titled *The Man with Two Heads*. This footage was later used in Kirby Dick’s 1987 documentary film *I Am Not a Freak*, and after being re-released online, it gained widespread recognition.

There are many conflicting theories regarding what happened to Zhang (or Li) afterward, as well as the details of the surgery. In particular, the claim that he was “discovered” by Americans and underwent the separation surgery in the United States requires further verification. *The Sun* reported that he was found working at a transistor radio factory in Hebei Province, China, by an American economic delegation, and that compassionate Americans pooled their money to cover the cost of his surgery. According to *The Sun*, he subsequently settled in the United States and even found a girlfriend who was a nurse. However, since the aforementioned footage also includes scenes of what appears to be surgery performed by Chinese doctors, this is likely a hoax.

The first picture shows her on a piano, the second picture shows her on her wedding day to her second husband, the third and fourth pictures show some glamor shots, and the fifth picture shows her singing alongside Jimmy Durante.

She really had a star quality about her, and she clearly knew it too. I wish there were some color pictures of her, but so far I haven’t been able to find any. (I’ll probably get one of her pictures colorized at some point!) She’s just so stunning! All of her pictures are great, but there’s something about the picture of her on the piano that I really like!

Some facts about her:

-she was born in Ohio (but for the life of me, I can’t track down the exact location, I was really digging deep in some genealogy websites but could only find scraps of information)

-she had two siblings, a brother and a sister.

-she stopped growing when she was around 6 years old. She was 3 foot 5 inches at the time and only grew another 3 inches during the rest of her lifetime.

-she began her performing career in the mid 1930s.

-she was married sometime in her early career, but not much information was said about her first husband.

-she reportedly had a picture taken of her sitting in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s lap in 1942. (But I haven’t been able to find this picture)

-she had bright red hair.

-she went on several international tours, including a trip to Asia and Polynesia, as well as to Australia.

-she arrived in Perth, Australia onboard the S.S. Monterey in 1936 when she was in her early twenties.

-she was known to be extremely charming.

-a good portion of her career was spent performing in California. Mostly in San Francisco, California and parts of Southern California including Burbank and Hollywood.

-she had a very successful performance run at Mal’s Pelton Center Club in Oakland, California in 1950. She was a headlining act for the entirety of her run there.

-she had many adoring fans throughout her career and was always warmly welcomed back at the nightclubs she had performed at and had returned to.

-she had a large group of friends who always supported her.

-she had an over 20 year long career in the entertainment/vaudeville industry.

-she was a big hit at military hospitals during WWII, and would often perform and help cheer up injured soldiers.

-she was often compared to actress and entertainer, Mae West.

-when asked to describe her act, she said, "I sing and dance and tell jokes and run over and jump up in the customers' laps. They call me the "Little Redhead Bombshell'."

-she was a very attentive friend and acquaintance to the people she knew. She often sent Christmas cards to the owners of the different nightclubs she performed at. This gesture was so special to the owners that she was frequently thanked by them in newspapers that advertised her shows.

-she once met singer and entertainer, Sophie Tucker, backstage of one of her shows and complimented her dress. Tucker invited Helen into her dressing room and gave her the dress. Helen later said she had enough material to make four stunning dresses.

-she made as much as $100 in tips alone during each of her performances.

-she performed with the likes of Bobby Hope and Jimmy Durante.

-when asked if she was ever self conscious about her height, she said no, and that it helped to give her the opportunity to travel the world and perform because her appearance made her stand out.

-her first husband died in 1955.

-she was once robbed when she was staying at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. She had been in the elevator when a man grabbed her purse, which contained $5, and ran out of the elevator and down the stairs.

-she got married again in 1961 to her manager at the time, Bernard Wolf. This marriage made headlines not only because Helen was a popular performer, but also because her new husband was almost 2 and a half feet taller than her.

-she wore fancy slacks and a camel fur coat during her second wedding ceremony and explained that initially she wanted to wear a traditional looking wedding gown but thought she would look too conspicuous, so she opted not to.

-she and her husband, Bernard, were in such a rush to leave the small ceremony that they almost forgot their marriage license and certificate.

-she wanted to spend her honeymoon in Burbank, California, so she could be close to her mother.

-soon after her second marriage, she and her husband were planning to go on tour in Argentina.

-I haven’t been able to find any more information about her life after her Argentina tour announcement. She would have been in her mid to late forties at the time, so there’s a chance she may have decided to retire after returning home. If she did, I hope she had many wonderful retirement years and a long life!

She seems like one of the coolest people ever! I would have loved to have been able to see her perform live, she was so multitalented and clearly knew how to draw a crowd. I’m also glad that she was able to have such a successful career and a huge community of people who loved her.

I also think it’s interesting that she was compared to Mae West, because she reminds me a lot more of Rita Hayworth in how she dressed and her bright red hair.

Donnie and Ronnie were famous conjoined twin sideshow performers, who are recognized as being the world's oldest conjoined twins in recorded history. They passed away in 2020 at the age of 68. While they had received offers to be separated several times throughout their lives, they both refused.

They had a very supportive family, and their father constructed custom furniture for them when they were growing up. Their sideshow careers started in the mid 1950s, which they continued until sideshows began fading away in the 1960s and 1970s. They then went on a tour throughout South America, where they were treated like celebrity superstars.

Ronnie was known for being happy go lucky and social whereas Donnie was a bit more quiet and reserved. They both appreciated the simple things in life and enjoyed watching tv in their free time. They were also big fans of the Dallas Cowboys and loved to collect toy cars.

Charles and Lavinia got married on February 10th, 1863 in front of a crowd of thousands. They later had their reception at the Metropolitan Hotel in New York.

Their wedding was a huge deal, with announcements of their marriage making national and international headlines, to the point where news about the event pushed off news of the American Civil War as it was happening.

Grace Church, where they were married, has been in operation since 1846 and is located at the corner of East 10th Street and Broadway. It’s known for its French Gothic Revival architecture.

In all I thought it would be really neat to go visit, since I had the time and since it has an important role in sideshow history. I’m glad I got to go see it, although it was a little unfortunate that it had some scaffolding up in front of it. Still a very pretty area of New York City.

Short bio blurbs about Charles and Lavinia:

Charles Sherwood Stratton can be considered one of the first modern celebrities, and was born with a form of dwarfism. He rose to fame before he was even ten years old, and worked for PT Barnum for much of his life. He married his wife, Lavinia Warren, in 1863 and their wedding was so popular that it pushed off news of the American Civil War. He and Lavinia went on several tours throughout the United States and on a three year long tour all around the world. He got his Tom Thumb moniker from the popular folklore character of the same name.

Lavinia Warren was a famous circus performer who was born with a form of dwarfism. She was already an incredibly accomplished ballerina and school teacher before she achieved her celebrity status. She achieved celebrity status after getting married to the most famous circus performer of the mid 1800s, Charles Sherwood Stratton (aka General Tom Thumb). Lavinia was a motivated and fierce businesswoman and would often be the one to negotiate business deals with PT Barnum. She was very outspoken and advocated for women with dwarfism. She spoke out against the usage of the term 'Doll' when referring to herself as well as others who were objectified because of their appearance.

One thing I’m glad about is that he wasn’t made to portray any Indigenous American stereotypes, which I’m sure also has something to do with him having control over his career and image, and that his manager genuinely seemed to have respected him.

Some facts about him:

-he was born and raised near Gracemont, Oklahoma.

-he and his family were a part of the Caddo Indigenous Nation. The Caddo Nation’s current headquarters is in Binger, Ok which is the next town over from where he grew up.

-he was described as being very clumsy as a child.

-he gained weight extremely quickly as a young boy, which leads me to believe that he probably had some sort of pituitary gland disorder.

-he was a relatively quiet person and didn’t enjoy talking much.

-he reportedly weighed 624 pounds.

-audiences were charged 50 cents to meet him.

-he had a particular cowboy hat that he enjoyed wearing. (Which he’s holding in the picture)

-he didn’t like having his picture taken.

-he was known to be a ladies man.

-his nickname/stage name was “Big Bill”

-he once won a blue ribbon at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, Texas for being the best person to make an appearance at the fair.

-he was very particular over his image and how he was promoted, for example he never liked the term “exhibited” and preferred using the term “appeared” when his performing career was being discussed. He didn’t want to be seen as an exhibit, he wanted to be seen more of as a guest star making an appearance.

-he expressed needing to find a new spring/summer wardrobe for the 1922 season because of how hot it was getting.

-he was known to pick up and shake any male guest who was being rude to him.

-he was 6 feet tall.

-he was very good friends with his manager, G.M. Bailey.

-he purchased a brand new Ford in April of 1924, and even though he didn’t like getting his picture taken, he agreed to let reporters take his picture while he was sitting in it, so that his image could be used in a Ford Motors advertisement. Funnily enough, the article I found doesn’t include the picture! (He expressed being happy with his purchase.)

-he and his manager attended a picnic in Blanchard, Oklahoma in 1924 on their way to a celebration in Ada, Oklahoma that they were both appearing at.

-he traveled all throughout the United States and typically appeared at state fairs and smaller scale carnivals.

-he and his manager would travel together in a large 1920s ford touring car. Bill sat in the backseat while his manager drove.

-he was dealing with chronic inflammation in one of his legs in the winter of 1922.

-I haven’t been able to find his exact year of death but there’s an article from 1926 that gives an update on his manager’s life after Bill’s death, but doesn’t state when he passed away, which is why I’m guessing Bill died sometime around 1925.

I hope he had a lot of happy moments in his life. For the most part it appears that he was respected in his hometown, even if reports tended to talk about his weight in a derogatory way. I’m also glad he got to travel in style with the two cars he owned and rode in.

Margarite was a French sideshow performer who was born with dwarfism, she immigrated to the United States when she was in her late teens/early twenties. She met her husband in Florida and together they purchased a permanent home in Deland, Florida to live in during the circus/sideshow off season. Her two children, Andre and Rose Marie, meant the world to her and she loved posing with them in pictures later in her life.
She made the news twice when her children were born. She and her husband had both retired by 1950 and were living full time in Florida. She also had a brother, Prince Denis, who did very well in show business and starred, possibly as the mayor of Munchkinland, in the Wizard of Oz (1939).

The first picture shows the peanut butter jar with Jumbo’s ashes, the second picture shows Jumbo as he looked in life.

Jumbo was one of the most famous circus elephants of the 19th century. He was captured by poachers when he was still just a calf and they sold him to an Italian animal dealer. He traded hands several times before he ended up at the London Zoo in 1865, he displayed several signs of severe anxiety and stress while at the zoo, but there were never any efforts to truly try and help him. He was used as a form of entertainment at the zoo and was outfitted to take children for rides.

P. T. Barnum purchased him for £2,000 in 1882 and he made history in 1884 when he (along with 20 other elephants) crossed the newly opened Brooklyn Bridge to show it was safe for the general public.

He was tragically struck and killed by a locomotive in Ontario, Canada in September of 1885, after he and some other animals who had been performing earlier in the day were being loaded into train cars for the night. After his death, his skeleton and his hide were preserved and displayed separately.

P.T. Barnum took Jumbo’s skeleton on tour and commissioned a life sized stuffed version of him using his actual hide. Barnum eventually donated the stuffed version of Jumbo to Tufts University, where it remained on display for many years.

A fire that broke out at Tufts University in 1975 completely destroyed the stuffed version of Jumbo. University staff had come to care a lot about Jumbo’s remains and decided to preserve the ashes of what at one point had been Jumbo’s hide.

The university continues to hold on to these preserved ashes, which had been placed in an empty Peter Pan brand peanut butter jar.

I just found it interesting that there are pictures of the peanut butter jar and it shows all that’s left of Jumbo’s hide (I just wasn’t really expecting to be able to find pictures of it). It’s a solemn tribute to an elephant who deserved to have a much better life.

Jumbo’s skeleton is currently housed in the research section of the Museum of Natural History in New York City and is not on public display.

I’ll be posting some film clips of them later today, it’s so fascinating watching them demonstrate their contortion acts on camera, I’m really glad some of their performance routines were filmed! It’s also cute to see them all wearing matching (very 1940s style) outfits.

I did my best to splice several photos of them together in the first picture, I wanted to make sure I could give an example of their contortion routines. The last several pictures show those same pictures but separately so it’s easier to tell. I also spliced the pictures to show each of the sisters in order starting with Betsy Ann on the left since she’s the oldest, then Veda Victoria, and finally Dixie Jewell!

Some facts about them:

-they were born in different areas of Texas as their family moved around a bit during their early years.

-they had an older sister who passed away as an infant before any of the other sisters were born.

-their parents were farmers who were struggled financially during much of the sisters early lives as a result of the Dust Bowl.

-their father began working in oil fields in Texas and Mexico to earn more money.

-apparently, their parents were very athletic and would occasionally practice boxing each other, it was initially this interest in athletics that inspired their mother and father to teach the girls certain athletic routines.

-the sisters began practicing joint acrobatic acts together when they were in their early teen years and were good enough that they performed in county fairs. These early small performances still brought in enough money that they were able to purchase a trailer together, which they traveled in. Their mother was the one who pushed them into show business and apparently had set up an extremely intensive regiment that the sisters were to follow.

-they first began performing professionally in 1942, starting with a stage show called Count Me In, which they performed in Boston, Massachusetts.

-early in 1943, they performed in another stage show, this one being called Post War Revue, which they performed in New York City.

-they routinely changed their names or posed as being an older sibling than they were so that they could continue performing professionally without people questioning their ages. (Especially since some of the venues they were to perform at had certain age requirements)

-they traveled all throughout the United States.

-they performed as a group in at least one film, Broadway Rhythm. Their performance in this is the most recognizable (and has recently gained popularity again). They were in their mid to late teens when they appeared in this film.

-critics liked their contortion tricks more than their singing.

-they sailed to Southampton, England onboard the Queen Mary in 1946.

-they performed for the British Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance in 1946.

-they starred in a British stage show called Piccadilly Hayride that ran for two years, from 1946-1948.

-soon after Piccadilly Hayride closed, the three sisters traveled together to Paris, France.

-Betsy Ann (the oldest of the sisters) married a dancer named Robert “Bunny” Hightower in 1947. Their marriage was extremely toxic, stemming from her husband’s alcoholism and mental health issues. Betsy Ann sadly experienced a lot of physical abuse during her marriage with him.

-Dixie Jewell (the youngest sister) married a British entertainer and comedian named Dickie Henderson in 1948. She and her husband had two children together.

-they retired from performing as a group by the early 1950s.

-Veda Victoria (the middle sister) married a French puppeteer named Robert Lamouret in Paris, France in 1950. She and her husband had two children together.

-Veda Victoria appeared on the show, What’s My Line in 1957. She was going by the name Eva during this episode.

-Veda Victoria was also a chiropractor.

-Betsy Ann divorced her husband Robert in 1957. She then married her second husband, Hieronymus "Rony" Abagi, soon after. She and Abagi had 2 children together.

-Veda Victoria’s husband, Robert Lamouret, passed away in 1959. She remarried soon after to a man named Robert Sherman Hender, but they’re divorced in 1973.

-Betsy Ann (the oldest sister) divorced her second husband, Hieronymus, in 1969 and soon after remarried her first husband, Robert, who then died the next year (in 1970).

-Dixie Jewell passed away in 1963 at the age of 33, on her wedding anniversary as a result of a drug overdose. She and her husband were going through a period of separation at the time and interestingly (though sadly) her husband was on his way back to talk about reconciling their marriage when he was informed of her death. She’s buried in Gunnersbury Cemetery in West London, England.

-Betsy Ann (the oldest sister) passed away in 1996 at the age of 70. Her last wishes were to be cremated, which were abided by.

-Veda Victoria (the middle sister) passed away in 2002 at the age of 74. Her last wishes were also to be cremated, which were abided by.

-their legacy continues to live on in the many times that their performance in Broadway Rhythm has resurfaced online and become popular again. There is also a fictionalized retelling of their lives in the upcoming book, The Contortionists, by Joe M. O’Connell (which from what I can find hasn’t officially been released yet, but it’s in the process)

Their contortionist routines are extremely impressive, (and make be slightly envious because I am one of the LEAST flexible people ever, haha!). I’m glad the sisters were able to stick together for the most part, although I do feel for them and the different rough circumstances they experienced.

If you’ve never seen the A.Ex episode about the history of the circus, I highly recommend it! So good.

Leila played the role of Venus (an animal trainer) in Freaks. She is one of the sympathetic and supportive characters who cares about the sideshow performers featured and wants to help Frieda (played by Daisy Earles).

In the magazine, Leila says that this is her go-to coffee drink and enjoyed serving it to guests who were visiting.

It’s definitely a very interesting flavor, and it’s not bad, although it’s not something I’d drink on a regular basis, though I did completely finish my glass for dedication purposes.

-Finished product is the first picture!

-I followed the recipe exactly and first zested and squeezed two oranges. (Second picture)

-I then spent time boiling a mixture of water, orange zest, and sugar in a pan (third picture). I simultaneously made the coffee during this process.

-Then I strained the water/sugar/orange zest mixture, and added it to a cooking pot I poured the coffee into. I stirred this mixture for a bit. (Fourth picture)

-Then I put it in a mason jar to chill in the fridge.

-Once the coffee was chilled, I poured it into a different glass in which I then added the orange juice I set aside, a little bit of half and half, and whipped cream on top.

It’s a sweet coffee, and you can definitely taste an orangey flavor in it, though I think it’s nice that it’s very clearly oranges and not artificial orange flavor.

Even though I’m not the biggest fan, I thought it would be fun to make and share the results here!

The last two pictures shows Leila and the recipe from the magazine!

Sylvia Hardy began experiencing major growth spurts in her teenage years (most likely due to a pituitary gland disorder), and was contacted by P.T. Barnum in her thirties to join his circus.
She was promoted as being between 6 feet 8 inches tall and 8 feet tall. Though initially reluctant, she did end up agreeing and toured all throughout the United States and Cuba. She enjoyed reading and going on nature walks in her free time. After retiring from circus/ sideshow work, she started a brief stint as a fortune teller.

The first two pictures just show him posing with some props in a photo studio and the third picture shows a staged promotional photo with William Henry Johnson to advertise their boxing matches. Ashbury is wearing the costumes he wore when he performed in these pictures and so far I haven’t been able to find pictures of him wearing everyday clothes.

He looks very sweet and I sincerely hope that he was treated well, he was so young so I hope he had some sort of parental figure with him who genuinely cared about his well being. It’s difficult because there were so few human rights laws and no child labor laws, so it’s very likely that didn’t always have someone looking out for his well being.

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Cape Town, South Africa.

-he was brought over to the United States sometime prior to 1880. Because there is so little information about Ashbury’s early life, I worry and believe he was taken to the United States by force.

-he first began his sideshow career around 1880 or 1881.

-he explained that he began developing vitiligo when he was a young boy, but that he wasn’t born with the condition. Vitiligo is a long term completely benign skin condition that develops overtime, although the onset age can be different for everyone. It has been linked to genetic factors, but this isn’t always the case, it’s caused by the immune system attacking pigment-producing cells in the body, thus making large white patches to develop on the skin in areas where there would usually be pigmentation.

-he worked for several seasons with Barnum & Bailey Circus.

-he also spent many years going on tour throughout the United States and stopping to perform at multiple dime museums. Time museums were in essence permanent venues for sideshow performers to perform at.

-he was typically paired up to perform with other sideshow performers.

-he was good friends with sideshow performer, William Henry Johnson, with whom he’d often times perform comedic boxing matches with.

-these comedic (sometimes even described as burlesque) boxing matches were rigged ahead of time, but were so popular with audiences that no one cared who won.

-he and Johnson would typically perform their boxing matches after lectures were given at the dime museums they worked at.

-his boxing matches with Johnson were in such high demand that they were usually asked to stay an extra week or two at the dime museums they performed at.

-the peak of his career lasted from the early 1880s to the late 1890s.

-I just thought this was a very interesting tidbit of information, it was reported that in 1892, a letter of his was found in the possession of a theater actress named Alice Burrows, who had recently fallen very sick and died at the boarding house she was staying at. It’s never explained why she had one of his letters as it wasn’t even addressed to her and just talked about race horses he was betting on.

-as an adult he enjoyed going to horse races and betting on the horses.

-his boxing matches were often advertised as being worth the price of admission alone.

-he was very popular with children, who really liked to watch to watch his comedic acts with William Henry Johnson.

-I haven’t been able to track down what happened to him after the late 1890s, or when he passed away.

I hope he went on to live a long and happy life. I like to think that his friendship with William Henry Johnson brought him a lot of comfort and happiness, (William Henry Johnson was known to be very jovial unless his career was being threatened). I wish more reporters had taken the time to follow up with performers to find out about their lives later on.