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24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

It's hard to imagine spending money to go and gawk at other human beings as a form of entertainment, but the 1900s were a different time.

By Daniel Bonfiglio

Published 1 year ago in Wow

Today, if you were looking for a good time, you might throw on a pair of sneakers, head on down to the amusement park, and hop on a few rides. Afterwords, maybe you'd shoot a water gun, throw a tennis ball, or try and win a prize or two at the arcade. You know, normal fun things. But if you lived in the 1900s, you'd be grabbing a quarter and buying a ticket to see the local "freak show."


It's hard to imagine spending money to go and gawk at other human beings as a form of entertainment, but the 1900s were a different time, and carnival sideshows often drew large crowds as profitable endeavors. As you'd expect, conditions for performers were less than ideal, and many suffered premature deaths from a lack of proper care. But you can't tell the story of entertainment history without them, and many helped pave the way towards normalizing future acceptance. 

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    “The Ohio Big Foot Girl,” Fannie Mills suffered from Milroy disease.

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    "The Bearded Woman," Annie Jones, toured with P.T. Barnum, and became the county’s top bearded lady.

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    Tattooed Lady Betty Broadbent.

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    Chang and Eng Bunker toured for three years before moving to North Carolina. They married stepsisters and had 21 kids.

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    Joseph Merrick, the “Elephant Man.”

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    Felix Wehrle, the “Elastic Man,” in 1902. He suffered from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    Grady Stiles Jr., "Lobster Boy" had a genetic birth defect. He would go on to murder his daughter's fiance.

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    The "Living Human Skeleton," Isaac Sprague.

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    Myrtle Corbin, the Four-Legged Girl from Texas. She was a dipygus, born with a severe congenital deformity of conjoined twinning, and could move her smaller legs.

    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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    24 Vintage Pics of Carnival and Circus Acts

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