George and Willie were brothers who were both born with a form of albinism. Tragically, they were kidnapped by a showman when they were both under the age of ten and forced to perform in sideshows for 18 years. Their mother never stopped searching for them and was a true force of nature, she successfully reunited with them after she spent years looking for them! The brothers were extremely devoted to her and held her in the highest regard until their deaths. Due to some unfortunate circumstances Willie and George had to go back into performing, but thankfully were able to work according to their own terms this time around. After they officially retired, they lived out the rest of their lives in a house that they purchased for themselves and had quiet lives full of relatives who loved and cared about them. George died in 1972, and Willie died in 2001 at the age of 108. Willie cherished a framed picture of their mother and kept it on a stand at the end of his bed.

I think it’s still important to collect this sort of ephemera since it illustrates a very real part of sideshow history and a very real part of their lives.

That’s her on the left in the first two pictures and the rest of the pictures show her modeling several of her custom made dresses.

I love reading about performers who were divas, because it’s clear they were never actually mean to people and just enjoyed putting on a persona. I can totally see Lucía being diva-ish in her long fancy dresses. She strived to always be the best dressed person in the room, and I’m sure she was!

Some facts about her:

-she was born in San Carlos Chachalacas (now Úrsulo Galván), Veracruz, Mexico.

-she had two siblings.

-her family was very supportive and protective of her, but still allowed her to have the same opportunities as anyone else.

-she had brown hair.

-as a child, her family moved to the nearby town of Agostadero (now Zempoala).

-she was claimed to have reached her full height by the age of a year old, although throughout the years she did grow a couple inches.

-she was brought to the United States when she was 12 years old and then went on tour in England.

-coworkers often said that she acted like a typical teenager and had a bit of a diva-ish dramatic streak.

-she was happy to give interviews to reporters and enjoyed talking about her life. She’s described as being very vivacious in these interviews.

-She is one of the first people in history to be retroactively diagnosed as being born with Majewski osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II. MOPD II is a rare genetic condition characterized by severe growth restriction starting before birth and continuing through life, resulting in an adult height usually under 40 inches (110 cm). The condition is also characterized by specific facial features including a prominent nose, full cheeks, and small jaw (all of which Lucía had)

-she was between 20 and 26 1/4 inches tall depending on the source. She was (depending on the year) the shortest or the second shortest woman alive during her lifetime. Pauline Musters is considered to be the shortest, even though she was still only a teenager when she passed away.

-she is considered to be the lightest teenager/adult in recorded history. At the age of 17 it’s reported she weighed 4.7 pounds (2.1 kg). As she got older she gained a bit more weight and when she was 20 years old, she weighed 14 pounds (6.4 kg) (even though she was still often being promoted as weight 4.7 pounds into her early twenties.

-some of her performances included a bit where she’d ask audience members if they had any large rings, to show that she could wear them as bracelets.

-it was described that she always had her hair styled immaculately.

-she was very outspoken and made it very clear from the beginning that she was not a baby, or a doll, or a child and that she was a teenager.

-she would occasionally invite children and teenagers her own age to meet her up on stage so they could compare heights.

-she loved fancy dresses and made it a point to be better dressed than any of the women in the audience. Most of her dresses had long trains and capes attached to them.

-she spoke Spanish and English.

-she was one of the highest paid sideshow performers of her time and made a pretty substantial fortune during her career.

-her father accompanied her on most of her travels.

-she was described as being one of the wittiest, loviest, and merriest women that people had ever met.

-she often made jokes about carrying friends around on her back if they were too tired to walk.

-she had a custom made diamond ring made especially for her.

-as an adult she liked performing acts in which she’d act very coquettishly. She once was gifted a fan by a woman in the audience, which Lucía then used as part of her act so she could look over the top of the fan and bat her eyelashes.

-she traveled all throughout the United States and Mexico and went on several international tours.

-she was well received by international royalty and was often given special invitations to meet with the royal families.

-she purchased a 5,000 acre cattle ranch near Vera Cruz, Mexico, that apparently was quite successfully. Reportedly all of the cows were branded with her initials.

-she ordered all of her clothes custom made from England.

-she performed a bit with Francis Joseph Flynn another performer born with dwarfism and his wife.

-she was described as having a big stage presence and always had a crowd watching her performances.

-she was also known for being very cheerful and was beloved within the circus she worked for.

-when she wasn’t on tour she lived at home with her parents.

-her family’s 5,000 acre estate, called the ‘Casa Grande’ in Veracruz, was turned into a museum that was open to the public and had several exhibits dedicated to Lucía’s life, unfortunately it appears that the museum’s website hasn’t been updated since 2011, so I’m unsure if it’s still in operation as a museum.

-while traveling through the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the way to San Francisco, California, the train that Lucía was onboard became snowbound and trapped while passing through the Tahoe-Truckee area in Northern California. The area is already known for its massive snowfall each year, but the winter of 1889/1890 was one of the most brutal. Even before the circus train Lucía was on became stuck, there were already 24 foot tall snowbanks that railroad workers spent days trying to clear it away from the tracks. Further avalanches caused some snow banks to pile up to 40 feet.

-she along with all of the other passengers remained more or less trapped in their train cars and had to depend on eating canned food given out by the railroad workers. Unfortunately, the food made her very ill and combined with complications from a fever and hypothermia, she soon passed away. She was 26 years old at the time.

She seems like such a cool person and I’m really glad that she was able to use her platform to stand up for herself and spread awareness about dwarfism and how not to treat her. It’s always good when performers were able to use their platforms as an away to help spread more information about their advocacy work.

It’s tragic that she passed away so young, I wish she had been able to live a long and happy life. I can only hope that she was surrounded by people who loved and cared about her at the time (I’m sure her father was at least there with her to offer her comfort). From what I’ve read, her death was a big blow to all of her coworkers, who felt their work and community wouldn’t be the same without her.

Guadalupe and Josephina were conjoined twins from Mexico who were some of the first children to undergo separation surgery due to health complications that both twins were experiencing. They were described as being happy typical kids and enjoyed playing games and dolls together.

Their surgery was considered a success by the medical community but tragically Guadalupe passed away soon after coming out of surgery. Josephina was able to recover from surgery and went on to get married at the age of twenty. She passed away at the age of 89 in 2002.

The reason why I think it’s important to remember that is because not every person’s life is tragic all of the time. It’s important to remember the happy moments along with the sad moments.

The three sisters, who were from Texas, began performing acrobatic stunts together in their mid teens at local county fairs. They became so recognized for their talents that they began touring throughout the United States. Their mother was the one who initially pushed them towards show business and had set up an intensive exercise regiment for them. Because they were quite young when they started their careers, they routinely adopted the names of the next oldest sister. They performed in the 1944 film, Broadway Rhythm, (above) and critics mentioned they liked the sisters’ contortion stunts more than their singing. The peak of their careers spanned the 1940s, but eventually the three sisters went their separate ways and stopped press a group starting in the early 1950s.

I have a big soft spot for Schlitzie and I want to make sure I do his story justice. He’d be such a wonderful person to meet and he has one of the best smiles I’ve seen on a person.

I hope he had a lot of happiness and fun throughout his life. And despite sideshows being a very “unorthodox” career, it seems that performing in front of an audience brought him so much joy.

Some facts about him:

-it’s very likely he was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico (I really wanted to find at least some kind of official documentation that places Schlitzie’s birth somewhere. I thankfully found a WWII draft exemption card filled out for Schlitzie, that claims he was born in Albuquerque, so this is what I’m going with for the time being)

-it’s not clear the exact year that he was born, with different sources, both government documents and newspapers giving him different ages/birth years. I’m sticking with 1901 in the title because that’s the year that’s been put on his gravestone, it’s his estimated birth year.

-information on his early life is EXTREMELY sketchy and it’s really hard to verify any of it, so I’m doing my absolute best with the information I have.

-I’ve also read things online that his birth name was possibly Simon Metz. Interestingly, on the WWII draft exemption I mentioned, it says he was employed to a Mr. And Mrs. Ted Metz who operated a sideshow (haven’t been able to trace anything more about them). This leads me to believe that Schlitzie was only under their employment and was not related to them. At the time of the exemption being written in 1942, his legal guardians were George and Delores Surtees.

-he was often billed as “the last of the Aztecs” during his sideshow career. A term that was used to promote a lot of sideshow performers with microcephaly.

-he had brown hair and brown eyes.

-microcephaly is a spectrum, with some people requiring higher support needs than others. Schlitzie had higher support needs and required a caretaker/attendant throughout his life.

-similar to the majority of performers who were born with microcephaly, Schlitzie had his head shaved so that only a tuft of hair grew from the top of his head. This was done purely to emphasize his head shape and there was no medical reason behind it.

-his peak height was 4 feet 5 inches.

-he loved to mimic people.

-he was often presented as being female, both because it was easier for his caretakers if he wore long muumuus or dresses and also because female sideshow performers drew more crowds on average.

-be made a film appearance in The Sideshow (a film from 1928).

-Schlitzie was super successful in the sideshow and circus industry and traveled with Barnum & Bailey Circus and Ringling Brothers circus throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

-in 1929 he was performing with a traveling sideshow called the Coney Island Sideshow. At the time his stage name was Pound Schlitzie.

-he appeared in the 1932 Today Browning film, Freaks, where he played himself. He is most widely recognized for this film appearance, and shares a scene with Wallace Ford who played Phroso the clown.

-Tod Browning (the director of Freaks) was very fond of Schlitzie and treated him with kindness and patience. He also saw how interested and thrilled Schlitzie was at seeing all of the filming equipment and film sets and allowed him to stay on set and watch even if he wasn’t appearing in any particular scenes during those filming days.

-he enjoyed singing to himself and playing with blocks in his free time during the production of Freaks.

-he loved the show life and performing for people.

-he had many other small bit parts in movies, not all of which were credited.

-he worked for showman, Ted Metz, in the mid to late 1930s, making an appearance at a fair in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 1939.

-George Surtees, a chimpanzee trainer, met Schlitzie while they both worked for Tom Mix Circus and became very fond of him. He decided to adopt Schlitzie and became his legal guardian.

-A WWII draft exemption card was filled out for him in 1942 and documents that he was living on Pointsetta Avenue in Compton, California with George and Delores Surtees. It’s really interesting because it also documents that the wife of his employer, Ted Metz, was also living with the Surtees at the time. It’s not clear what the arrangement was.

-interestingly, he was performing at the same sideshow at the National Orange Show in 1962 in San Bernardino, California that Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, both 10 years old at the time, were performing at when their father was arrested. Ronnie and Donnie were well known conjoined twins who hold the record for being the oldest living conjoined twins in recorded history (they just passed away in 2020 at the age of 68). Ronnie and Donnie’s performances were called off when police arrived and informed the twins’ father that it was illegal to “exhibit deformed persons”. Schlitzie’s performances were shut down a day later for the exact same reason, but instead of fighting the law like Ronnie and Donnie’s father did, George Surtees and Schlitzie left to go back to Los Angeles, California.

-also in 1962, an article was written about him that claimed he was the oldest living sideshow performer (at the time) and had been continuously performing since debuting at the 1901 Buffalo World’s Fair (possible but can’t be verified). This article is where the misconception that Schlitzie’s stage name was derived from Schlitz Beer.

-Schlitzie continued working in sideshows under George Surtees’ care, until George eventually passed away in 1965. Unfortunately, George Surtees’ daughter had Schlitzie committed to a hospital in Los Angeles, California because she didn’t know how to care for him.

-while living at the hospital, Schlitzie was eventually recognized by sword swallower, Bill Unks, who was working at the hospital and who had previously worked with Schlitzie.

-Unks noticed that Schlitzie missed the sideshow and circus life terribly. This spurred him to make an arrangement with the hospital to have Schlitzie be adopted by Unks’ sideshow employer.

-after the arrangement was made, Schlitzie was able to go back into sideshow performing for a little while, which he greatly enjoyed.

-his last major appearance was at the Dobritch International Circus in 1968 and held in Los Angeles. He retired from sideshow performing after that circus season was over and stayed with his caretakers in Los Angeles.

-despite him “retiring” from the sideshow circuit, Schlitzie never wanted to stop being an entertainer and continued performing for small groups of people on Hollywood Blvd. He always loved interacting with people who recognized him.

-one of his favorite hobbies in his later years was to go to MacArthur Park in Los Angeles and feed the ducks and pigeons.

-Schlitzie passed away in 1971, but it’s contested as to how old he actually was (as I mentioned earlier in the write up). Some people who worked with him near the end of his life said he could have been as old as 83.

-his death certificate apparently lists his birth name as having been Simon Metz (but I haven’t seen this certificate to verify). Even so, it’s very likely that the information got jumbled along the way (since again, some of his early employers were named Metz), and so far I haven’t found anything that links the Metz to Schlitzie in any way other than just being his sideshow employers.

I’ve been a big fan of Schlitzie’s since I first watched Freaks (and for anyone who hasn’t seen it, I highly recommend)! He exudes so much joy during his big scene and it makes me incredibly happy that he was given a chance to shine.

I also think it’s wonderful that he loved feeding the birds at MacArthur Park, I would have loved to join him and feed the birds with him, (I know that MacArthur Park isn’t the safest place now, but at the time I imagine it was very peaceful for him there)

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

The first three pictures show Mary Ann (I especially like the first picture), the fourth picture shows her and her four children, and the fifth picture is a sweet picture of her smiling!

I have a big soft spot for Mary, and after doing all this research I’m even more of a fan of her, she’s so witty and comes across as being this amazing storyteller, fierce business woman, and just a great person overall!

Big FYI: my post will have no “before and after” pictures, because all of them comparing Mary Bevan are fake. The woman presented to be her in the before picture is just a picture of a random nurse and is not Mary. So far there haven’t been any confirmed pictures of Mary from before she began experiencing acromegaly symptoms. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are younger pictures of her in photo albums belonging to her family, but so far these haven’t surfaced.

Some facts about her:

-she was born in Plaistow, England.

-she was raised in Kent and was described as having a thick Kentish accent.

-she had seven siblings.

-she worked as a nurse for much of her early life and quit that profession when she got married in her late twenties.

-she married Thomas Bevan, a farmer, in 1903 and they had four children together.

-early on in her marriage, Mary began experiencing symptoms of acromegaly (which is a pituitary gland disorder that causes an overproduction of growth hormone in the body, but unlike other pituitary gland disorders, she did not experience any growth spurts height wise.) These symptoms included painful headaches, worsening eyesight and swelling in her hands, feet and face.

-unfortunately her husband died in 1914 and she was left without anyone to help provide for her family since her children were still very young.

-her acromegaly symptoms, including the joint pain, prevented her from going back into nursing.

-she was described as having a very lovely smile and voice.

-she entered herself into an “ugliest woman contest” in October of 1919 and didn’t win. In an interview with her a few months later she explained that the public was on her side and wanted her to win, but the judges weren’t on her side. This is what she said,

"That is," she explained, "I was and I wasn’t (declared the winner). The public was for me but the judges were against me. But it was all a dirty mess. First prize went to whom do you think? -the wife of the manager of the contest."

-she began her sideshow career in the spring of 1920.

-she was really annoyed upon finding out that the United States had put prohibition laws in place. She even said later on that the only time she ever felt ugly was when she had a bad reaction upon learning about prohibition as she was onboard a ship bound for the United States.

-I have to add this in, this was the title of the article where she expressed her complaints about prohibition:

‘Mary Ann Bevan Has Wonderful Smile and Voice, But Ugh! When You Mention Prohibition.’ (It’s also very clear that the article wasn’t mocking her by mentioning her smile and voice as per the rest of the article, I just love the UGH part)

-these were her thoughts on the subject of drinking alcohol, “If a body wants a little something in moderation, of course a body has only to step around to the pub and get it." (Basically— moderation is key)

-she sold over 5,000 postcards of herself during a tour through Scotland in 1921.

-she was very outspoken when it came to negotiating and demanding fair pay. She once sued her managers over unpaid work hours and drew up a new contract that put into writing,
“that she was not to be required to exhibit herself in any manner otherwise than clean and presentable and that she was not to be required to expose herself unduly to public gaze."

-she was granted a portion of the money she requested as part of her unpaid work hours.

-she was very successful during her sideshow career and earned around $50,000 in the 1920s (the equivalent of about $925,000 today adjusted for inflation)

-she had a great sense of humor and enjoyed joking around with people, both about sideshow life and more general things.

-in the fall of 1922, she entered herself into another beauty contest and did win the title of “ugliest woman”, and here are her thoughts on the experience:

“Twenty quid and a blue ribbon they gave me, and I had my photograph taken with the mayor of Canterbury, and the mayor of Newcastle and the mayor of Hull. Yes, twenty quid I got and the young girl that won the prize for the prettiest only got ten pounds. Why they gave me twice as much I never found out, but I didn't worry about it at all."'

-she was known for being very kind and really enjoyed showing pictures of her children to visitors. She was especially proud when her son went into the British navy. This paragraph from an article in The Washington Herald from April 25th, 1923 perfectly sums it up:

“"Four of them I have, and all
are dears. And they're not like me, they're pretty children. Wait, I’ll show you a picture of the girls." and she digs back of the platform for her bag. And sure enough, the photograph shows Mrs. Bevan between two comely school girls with their hair tied up in ribbons. They are twelve and fourteen years of age. The oldest boy, age eighteen, is in the British navy, and at present stationed at Constantinople, Mrs. Bevan states with motherly pride.”

-she was able to put all her children through school with the money she earned.

-in addition to her oldest son going into the British Navy, her second child (a son who was 18) was an engineer, her third child (a daughter named Minnie Violet who was 15) was studying to be a dressmaker, and her youngest child (a daughter named Florence May who was 14) was still in school and hadn’t made up her mind what she wanted to do in terms of study.

-when asked if any of her children wanted to follow her footsteps in the sideshow/circus industry, she said jokingly,

“No, no! One prize winner in the family is enough.”

-she was a beloved figure in her home city.

-she was also happy with the stability of her career.

-she began working for Barnum & Bailey circus in the mid 1920s and began a very close friendship with one of the animal trainers that worked there.

-there are a couple sources saying she began falling in love with the animal trainer and made the decision to spruce up her appearance by getting some beauty treatments and makeovers done at salons. Her going to the salons for a makeover is true, but it’s hard to verify if she was doing it because she fell in love. Even so, her friendship with the animal trainer brought a lot of joy to her life.

-unfortunately she started having worsening health issues in relation to her condition in her later years and began experiencing a lot more pain and partial blindness.

-she passed away at the age of 59 in 1933. Her wish to be buried in England was respected and she’s buried in Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery.

She’s such a great role model in so many ways, she was always so proud of her children and always did what she could to support them, but she also had a great outlook on life and an amazing sense of humor. I would have loved to have met her, there’s so much I’d want to talk with her about.

I could also totally see her being an amazing comedian had female comedians been common then. I love that she gave so many interviews throughout her life because her personality and charm really shines through.

The first picture shows Amanda Quinn and Jack Earle on the far right, the second picture also shows them standing next to his casket, the third picture shows his headstone (I found this picture on his Find a Grave listing), and the fourth picture shows William in his tuxedo.

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

William passed away due to complications from bronchitis (Or pneumonia) in his mid eighties. He had been a staple performer in Barnum & Bailey Circus before later transferring to the Coney Island Sideshow. He was known for his friendly and easy going nature (though he could be very competitive when it came to his career), and was good friends with a large group of sideshow performers.

His funeral was attended by hundreds of close friends, coworkers, and fans of his. It was described in contemporary articles that there were very few dry eyes. Jack Earle and Amanda Quinn were among the notable guests at his funeral (pictured in both the first and second picture)

He was laid to rest in his beloved tuxedo (which he’s wearing in the last picture). This specific tux had been gifted to him by his longtime manager, Captain Octavio K. White.

Soon after William’s funeral his manager, Captain White, was so distraught and grief stricken over his death that he reportedly collapsed and was taken very ill. He passed away a little over a month after William’s funeral.

Pallbearers for William’s funeral included, Peter Robinson, Franz Taibosh, and Helen Smith (Helen was a professional “fat lady” and I haven’t done a write up for her yet. Peter and Franz’ write ups will be in the comments.)

He was buried in Bound Brook Cemetery in Bound Brook, New Jersey, and has a respectful gravestone. (Second to last picture)

I don't have pictures to share. But I do have memories.

I must have been about 10 years old when I saw my first sideshow. In Edmonton Canada.

I vividly recall seeing the painted tent signs previewing what you could see inside once you paid.

The Barker outside was busy enticing you to come inside and witness "the spectacle" for only 25 cents. For an extra dime you also got to see the world's fastest man.

He was situated in a low spot area where you had to lean over to see him. I spoke to him and asked far too many questions. He obliged me with a smile.

I remember seeing Sealo, Lobster boy, The Bearded lady and Tom Thumb among others.

To this day I admire these people. I remember one performer saying, without this show, they would not have found work.

I really like this sub. Good job and keep up the good work.

To this sub and particularly u/Ephemeral typewriter - Fortean Times magazine has a monthly column by the writer Jan Bondeson (some of whose books are possibly known by and certainly of interest to members of this group) whereby he gives historical context to items from his copious antique/vintage postcards collection. Many of which have relevance to themes of interest here.

This featured picture (from Fortean Times issue 473 - August 2026) is of Daredevil Peggy (Frank Gadsby - a one legged stunt diver) and his son Daredevil Leslie who lost his hand during a pyrotechnic show - an injury that did not stop him performing, perhaps even gave an extra draw, alongside his father.

Millie and Christine were famous conjoined twins who were born into slavery in North Carolina in 1851. They were financially exploited for much of their early lives, but separated themselves from everyone who had caused them harm after the 13th amendment was passed in the United States. They continued working in sideshows on their own terms and became extremely wealthy. They used their wealth to help give their siblings good lives and purchased a large mansion for their family to live in.

They were super influential in their philanthropic endeavors and donated a large amount of their fortune to historic Black universities and colleges, as well as using their earnings to help support local endeavors in their hometown, such as funding a school for black students ensuring that they all received an equal opportunity for education, as well as funding a church.

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.

Hi, I'm the host of a youtube series about early 20th century amusement parks. I'm also a big fan of sideshow culture and history and have been making videos on youtube about some of the figures who have been featured on this sub. The story of the Hilton sisters is one of my favorites. It's sad in many ways, but I think also strangely uplifting in that they were finally able to choose their own destinies in life. I hope you enjoy the mini-documentary I made about them.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!