Vintage Photos of Carnival, Circus, and Sideshow 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.
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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“The Ohio Big Foot Girl,” Fannie Mills suffered from Milroy disease.
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"The Bearded Woman," Annie Jones, toured with P.T. Barnum, and became the county’s top bearded lady.
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Tattooed Lady Betty Broadbent.
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Chang and Eng Bunker toured for three years before moving to North Carolina. They married stepsisters and had 21 kids.
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Felix Wehrle, the “Elastic Man,” in 1902. He suffered from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
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