tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371118802008-05-11T07:26:49.900-07:00J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-75966290858862948832008-05-06T09:15:00.000-07:002008-05-06T09:26:45.541-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/paulinaenverschueren1-703297.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/paulinaenverschueren1-703290.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> In the history of the world, little Pauline Musters is the smallest mature woman ever recorded. Pauline is currently listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having stood only 1 foot 11.2 inches in height. <span style=""> </span><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"> <p class="MsoNormal">Born on February 26, 1876 in Ossendrecht in the Netherlands Pauline Munster’s was almost half of her final height straight from her mother’s womb. At birth, she was just over 12 inches. At age nine, the tiny dynamo weighed only three pounds and in adulthood Pauline Munster weighed less than nine pounds. Her measurements at age 19 were 181/2 -19-17, meaning she had curvy little figure and in truth she had no shortage of male suitors.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pauline began her profession career as an infant at which time the public simply marveled at her tiny proportions, but as she grew older Pauline took to performing as well. She was eventually known for being an adept acrobat and for skilfully dancing with partners drawn from the audience. As her performances progressed in quality, Pauline took on many unique stage names. She was perhaps best known simply as Princess Pauline and on par with her name she took to wearing remarkable elegant gowns on stage, with details and stitching so minute that the garments themselves were a wonder to behold. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">During her career, Princess Pauline toured Belgium, Germany, France and Britain before being invited to perform in the United States in 1894. She debuted in New York City’s Proctor’s Theatre on New Year’s Eve before and stunned and thoroughly charmed audience. She performed with a grace that moved those who saw her. She was a fairy, a tiny regal princess on a huge stage dancing out what she felt in her heart – and it was beautiful. Princess Pauline quickly became the darling of New York.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tragically, while Pauline’s star burnt brilliantly, it expired far too quickly.<span style=""> </span>Shortly after arriving in New York the diminutive Princess contracted pneumonia and meningitis. Pauline Musters succumbed to illness on March 1, 1895 in New York and the world lost its smallest but greatest miracle. </p> </div><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/01/acknowledgments.html">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-42971040229994336492008-04-20T21:43:00.000-07:002008-04-21T13:49:36.016-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/joseph-merrick-797867.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/joseph-merrick-797822.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> The times and tribulations of Joseph Carey Merrick have long been the subject of books, films and theatre. As a result, ‘The Elephant Man’ is without a doubt the most famous human prodigy of all time. His story garnered the sympathy of Victorian England and after the span of one hundred years, his plight remains no less heart wrenching or inspiring.<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"> <p class="MsoNormal">Joseph Merrick was born on August 5, 1862 in Leicester to Mary Jane and Joseph Rockley Merrick. He had a younger brother and sister and was completely normal until the age of three.<span style=""> </span>In an autobiographical note which appeared on the reverse side of his freak show pamphlet, Merrick noted that his deformity first manifested with small bumps appearing on the left side of his body. By the time he was 12, and his mother passed away, Joseph’s deformities were severe. When his father remarried, his stepmother expelled him from the house and young Joseph began struggling not only against his deformity, but starvation and homelessness as well.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For a time, Joseph Merrick attempted to earn a living by selling door-to-door and on the street. Despite hiding his face behind a burlap mask, Merrick still endured the constant harassment of local children and many adults. His sales attempts were futile and he eventually ended up in the Leicester Union workhouse.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Victorian workhouses were not friendly places. They were akin to prisons, where the unemployed and unemployable toiled in the most unwanted laborious tasks of the era. Due to his progressing deformity, Joseph was soon unable to manually work at all and on August 29, 1884 he took a job as a curiosity attraction.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Contrary to film accounts, Merrick was well treated as an exhibit and well paid for his time. While on exhibit on Mile End Road in London, now the London Sari Centre, his path first crossed with Dr. Fredrick Treves. Treves, who would later chronicle and befriend Merrick, gave him one of his business cards after Merrick politely declined an examination. When human curiosity exhibits were outlawed in the United Kingdome in 1886, Merrick travelled to Belgium for work. There he was indeed mistreated and ultimatly robbed and abandoned by his promoter. He also contracted a severe bronchial infection further complicated by his deformities.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Upon his return to London, Merrick was the involved in a disturbance at Liverpool Street train station when his masked appearance and twisted body caused hysteria. Merrick was unable to speak due to his bronchial infection but had retained the business card of Dr. Treves, which he presented to authorities. Treves was quickly summoned from the London Hospital and soon arranged for Merrick to be given permanent quarters in the hospital.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was during this time that Joseph Merrick thrived.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Despite a living in constant physical and emotional pain, Merrick possessed an indomitable spirit. He quickly became the subject of much public sympathy and something of a celebrity in Victorian high society. Alexandra, then Princess of Wales and later Queen Consort, demonstrated a kindly interest in Merrick, leading other members of the upper class to embrace him. He eventually became a favourite of Queen Victoria. However, Treves later commented that Merrick always wanted, even after living at the hospital, to go to a hospital for the blind where he might find a woman who would not be repelled by his appearance and love him. In his later years, he found some solace in writing, composing remarkable heartfelt prose and poetry.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the summer of 1887, Merrick spent time vacationing at the Fawsley Hall estate, Northamptonshire. Special measures were taken for his journey there as he was forced to travel in a carriage with blinds drawn. Merrick enjoyed his time away from urban London greatly and collected wildflowers to take back with him to London. He visited Fawsley Hall again in 1888 and 1889. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Merrick was cared for at the hospital until his death at the age of 27 on April 11, 1890. He died from the accidental dislocation of his neck due to its inability to support the weight of his massive head in sleep. Merrick, unable to sleep reclining due to the weight of his head, may have tried to do so in this instance, in an attempt to imitate normal behaviour. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Joseph Merrick was originally thought to be suffering from elephantiasis. In 1971, Ashley Montagu suggested in his book The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity that Merrick suffered from neurofibromatosis type I, a genetic disorder also known as von Recklinghausen's disease. NF1 is still strongly associated with Merrick in the mind of the public; however, it was postulated in 1986 that Merrick actually suffered from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proteus_syndrome">Proteus syndrome</a>, a condition which had only been identified in 1979.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In July 2003, Dr. Charis Eng announced that as a result of DNA tests on samples of Merrick's hair and bone, she had determined that Merrick certainly suffered Proteus syndrome, and may have had neurofibromatosis type I as well. As it stands, many people still mistakenly refer to his condition as elephantiasis.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Merrick's preserved skeleton was previously on display at the Royal London Hospital. While his remains can no longer be viewed by the public, there is a small museum focused on his life, which houses some of his personal effects and period Merrick memorabilia.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">Note: While Joseph Merrick is better known as John Merrick, it is not his birth name. Sir Fredrick Treves recalled the name as such in his memoirs. It is unclear if Treves recalled details incorrectly or if Joseph Merrick went by John.</span></p>Links:<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTrue-History-Elephant-Man%2Fdp%2F0749005165%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1208753608%26sr%3D8-1&amp;tag=thehumanmarve-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325">I highly recommend The True History of The Elephant Man.</a><br /><a href="http://www.jsitton.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/elephantman/elephant_man.htm">Joseph Carey Merrick tribute site.</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2008/04/johann-petursson-viking-giant.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-717130-711773.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/01/acknowledgments.html">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div></div></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-63834945123143976662008-04-08T13:47:00.000-07:002008-04-13T16:34:29.660-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/johann-petursson-viking-giant-702622.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/johann-petursson-viking-giant-702619.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>At one point, Johann Petursson was the tallest man alive. He was officially dethroned during his lifetime by the colossal <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/05/tallest-man-robert-wadlow.html">Robert Wadlow</a> but he is arguably the better remembered giant due to his showmanship, personality and longevity. <div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"> <p class="MsoNormal">Johann was born in Dalvik, Iceland on February 9, 1913. He began life as Johann Svarfaelingur, the third child of nine and the only one of extraordinary size.<span style=""> </span>By the time he was twenty-years-old, Johann stood a purported eight feet, eight inches tall and wore a size 24 shoe. He was a gentle man, a man of soft words and warmth. Despite towering over them, children loved Johann and he was more than happy to hoist them onto his shoulder.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">During his adolescence Johann was a popular young man, due more to his outgoing personality than his height. In fact, he wasn’t treated as a ‘big deal’ in his town and the locals barely raised an eyebrow when the giant walked by. Petursson was just another one of the lads, well liked by all. Unfortunately, due to his height, he was unemployable in his hometown. Johann could not squeeze into the tiny local shops.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In 1934, Johann left for Denmark and it was there that he realized he could earn a living simply by exhibiting himself. He had a fine suit made to fit his mammoth frame, his measurements were taken by a team of three men, <span style=""> </span>and he then set off in search of fame and fortune.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Johann Petursson proved to be quite successful throughout Europe. He performed in music halls in an act with two dwarfs. <span style=""> </span>His tiny partners would play miniature accordions while Petursson stood between them and played instruments of enormous proportion. The act continued for several years until World War II. During the conflict Petursson found himself stranded in Copenhagen where he took a job in the shipyards and waited out the war.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Unlike many giants, who are actually quite physically frail, by all reports Johann was in good health and incredibly strong. His time at the shipyard went quickly and effortlessly. At the end of the war Petursson resumed touring Europe until he was discovered by John Ringling, of the Ringling Bros., and was contracted to appear in the United States.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Johann Petursson began touring with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey show during their 1948 season. Dressed in his Edwardian top hat and tails he began to command a salary of $200 a week. He also began selling giant-sized rings as souvenirs. While these rings fit his finger, one could also pass a silver dollar through them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Petursson’s time with Ringling Bros. was brief. He soon joined a sideshow managed by Glen Porter and it was under the management of Porter that Johann would develop his most famous trademark. Porter, aware of Johann’s Icelandic and Nordic roots had his wife craft a costume consisting of Viking regalia and a giant helmet.<span style=""> </span>Johann became known as The Viking Giant and his marketability instantly soared. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Eventually, Johann proved so popular and such a shrewd businessman that he broke away from management and went into business for himself. Petursson created a ‘Single-O’ show, a travelling show in which he was the only attraction. He saved over $50,000 in just five years which was a sizeable amount considering the era. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>Johan then decided to exhibit his enormous dimensions on the movie screen. In 1950 he starred opposite Jayne Mansfield as the prehistoric giant Guadi in <span style="font-style: italic;">Prehistoric Women</span>. Thirty years later, he was featured in <span style="font-style: italic;">Carny</span>, opposite Jodie Foster and Gary Busey. In 1981, he was featured in the astounding documentary <span style="font-style: italic;">Being Different</span> with fellow marvel <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/05/robert-melvin-man-with-two-faces.html">Robert Melvin</a>.</p>At the age of 69, an incredible age for a giant, Johann initially retired to Gibsonton, Florida. <span style=""> </span>His health, however, proved to falter quickly and soon he joined his brother in his beloved hometown of Dalvik. <span style=""> </span>Johann Petursson died there on November 26, 1984. A museum now sits not far from his grave. His possessions still draw curious crowds and a stir sense of wonder.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aECa53T5FrY">Watch a video of Johann here.</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2008/03/charles-tripp-armless-wonder.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-717130.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> </div><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/01/acknowledgments.html">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-49511495882706690142008-03-25T04:44:00.000-07:002008-03-25T04:59:18.091-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Charles-Tripp-742829.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Charles-Tripp-742826.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>During his time, Charles Tripp was not only the most well known armless wonder, he was also one of the most famous Canadian entertainers of his era. Born in Woodstock, Ontario on July 6, 1855 Charles Tripp owed much of his fame to his performance partner and dear friend <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2008/03/eli-bowen-legless-acrobat.html">Eli Bowen</a>. <div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"> <p class="MsoNormal">Charles Tripp was born without arms. But, as a young boy, he quickly adapted and became phenomenally adept at using his legs and feet as competently as a fully formed man would use their arms and hands. He was never exhibited during his youth but was well known locally for performing rather mundane daily tasks in extraordinary ways. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As a young man, Charles Tripp grew restless in his small hometown. As fortune would have it, at the age of seventeen, Charles heard of a showman in New York who exhibited special people with unusual talents. Seeing this as his opportunity for fame and fortune Charles Tripp packed his bags and headed to New York determined to meet the showman. <span style=""> </span>All he had was a name, but that proved to be more than enough. The showman was P.T. Barnum.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Upon his arrival in New York, Tripp located Barnum’s office and marched in unannounced. Barefoot, he demonstrated his morning routine by combing his hair, folding his clothes and putting his socks on. Barnum hired Tripp immediately. His career would last more than fifty years. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tripp performed many feats during his various exhibitions. Initially, most were of the daily mundane variety. His daily shave was always a crowd pleaser. <span style=""> </span>But as Tripp grew into a learned and well traveled man his repertoire reflected his maturity. Eventually Tripp became well known for his elegant penmanship, woodcarving, paper crafts, painting and photography.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Charles Tripp spent the bulk of his career touring with Barnum and eventually Ringling Bros and Barnum &amp; Bailey shows. Tripp was able to command as much as $200 a week during these tours, a figure supplemented by sales of his autographed cabinet cards. </p>It was during his partnership with <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2008/03/eli-bowen-legless-acrobat.html">Eli Bowen</a> that Charles Tripp was truly able to attract public attention. Pairing an armless man with a legless one was surely a stroke of showman brilliance but it was a moment of jovial playfulness that would cement Tripp and Bowen into history. While the pair posed for promotional photographs one of them spotted a tandem bicycle. In no time at all the two gents not only mounted the bicycle-built-for-two, but rode off together laughing as boys would. The photographer quickly snapped the pair mid-ride and the resulting surreal photograph still draws perplexed smiles.<p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/eli-bowen-charles-tripp-780377.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/eli-bowen-charles-tripp-780364.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tripp married late in life, in his early seventies. Following the marriage he limited his touring to North American dates. Aided by his wife, Charles Tripp toured until the day he died. In January of 1930 Tripp passed away due to asthma in Salisbury, North Carolina. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He was seventy-four years old.</p><p class="MsoNormal">image: Photo of Charles Tripp circa early 1890's by <span class="maintext">Eisenmann. Signature on reverse.<br />image: Eli Bowen and Charles Tripp's famous tandem bicycle photograph.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2008/03/eli-bowen-legless-acrobat.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-702453-722848-719776-762826-793893-793456-754482-736057-780230.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> </div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/01/acknowledgments.html">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-8772328132830784472008-03-16T23:47:00.000-07:002008-03-18T22:10:55.906-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/eli-bowen-707011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/eli-bowen-707007.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The remarkable Eli Bowen was born in Ohio on October 14, 1844 as one of ten children. While his siblings were physically average, Eli was born with his disproportional feet attached directly to his pelvis.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />In essence, Eli Bowen was a man born with feet but no legs.<br /><br />Despite his physical configuration, or perhaps because of it, Eli strived to live an extraordinary life. He endeavoured to not only overcome the limitations of his deformity, but strived to be the best in a profession know for its perfect physiques and physically taxing routines.<br /><br />Eli Bowen wanted to be an acrobat.<br /><br />Eli learned early to use his arms and hands to compensate for his lack of legs. Eli would hold thick, wooden blocks in his palms and use them as ‘shoes’, elevating his torso in order to walk on his hands. As a result of that process as well as steady farm labour Bowen developed enormous strength and even in adulthood he was able to navigate his 140 pound frame anywhere he chose. He started his professional career at the age of 13 in various wagon shows before eventually touring independently, performing in dime museums and finally touring Europe with Barnum and Bailey Circus. He garnered a reputation for being a magnificent and effortless tumbler and acrobat and for his phenomenal feats of strength.<br /><br />Billed as ‘The Legless Acrobat’ Eli Bowen was known for his remarkable tumbling abilities but was applauded internationally for his extraordinary routine known simply as ‘the pole routine’. While Eli stood only twenty-four inches in height he had no reservations about climbing a thirteen foot pole in order to balance on a single hand at its peak. Griping the pole Eli would stretch his torso straight, parallel to the ground, and spin around the pole. Eli would then hold himself parallel to the pole using only his right arm. The routine not only displayed Bowen’s strength, but was also unusually graceful. Soon, Eli Bowen was commanding a salary of over $100 a week.<br /><br />As he grew into adulthood, Eli Bowen also became well known for his handsome looks and, at one point, he was considered by many to be the most handsome man in show business.<br /><br />Eli Bowen’s good looks drew many female fans to his performances. At the age of 26 Eli married 15-year-old Mattie and together he eventually fathered 4 healthy sons. He took great pride in his family and the majority of the photos featuring Eli feature his family as well. In fact, as Eli was so regularly photographed a collector can actually watch his children grow into young men and, eventually, adults.<br /><br />Bowen continued to perform into his 80’s simply because he loved performing. His sons were prosperous, one became a merchant and another became a lawyer and judge and Eli owned property, specifically two farms in Michigan, and so money was never much of a concern. Eli simply loved life in the public eye and could not give up performing.<br /><br />On May 2, 1924 Eli Bowen passed of pleurisy just days before a scheduled performance for The Dreamland Circus at Coney Island. During his long career he was regarded with great reverence by his fellow performers. They lovingly referred to him as ‘Captain Eli’.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2008/02/jean-carroll-love-hurts.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-702453-722848-719776-762826-793893-793456-754482-736057.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAmerican-Sideshow-Encyclopedia-Curiously-Performers%2Fdp%2F1585424412%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1162688788%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks&amp;amp;amp;amp;tag=thehumanmarve-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325">Read more about Eli Bowen in American Sideshow</a>.<br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/01/acknowledgments.html">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-4544312004113490412008-02-13T00:04:00.000-08:002008-03-17T00:21:43.345-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/jean-carroll-tattooed-lady-771959.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/jean-carroll-tattooed-lady-771952.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>What would you do for love?<div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />In her time, Jean Carroll was a popular bearded lady. More importantly, Carroll was the real deal. Born in 1910 in Schenectady, New York Jean Carroll possessed the genuine foundation of a fine silken beard at the age of ten, when she joined the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. As she aged, that foundation of follicles flourished and soon provided Carroll with a stable career in carnival exhibition.<br /><br />As a young lady Carroll met a charming young Ohio man and quickly fell in love. The object of her affection was John Carson. Carson was a charming and handsome man. He was a contortionist and sideshow talker and he was actually quite taken by the sweet-hearted bearded girl. He was certainly attracted to Carroll but the beard was simply too much for him to overcome. While he continued to be friendly with Carroll, he pushed aside any romantic aspirations and focused on friendship.<br /><br />For fifteen years the two saw each other almost daily. As Carson got to know Carroll for the woman she was, behind the whiskers, he fell deeply in love with her. Carroll saw that love in him and it pained her. She knew he would never be able to accept the beard and she, in turn, could not give up her source of livelihood and her home in the carnival. As she cried one night, sword swallower Alec Linton suggested a painful solution.<br /><br />“Shave the beard and become a tattooed woman.”<br /><br />Soon, the beard was gone and in its place were over 700 intricate designs by famed tattooist Charlie Wagner. The pain involved in the process was likely excruciating but the investment was wise. John Carson was completely smitten, apparently having no problems with illustration over facial hair, and the two wed almost immediately following the ‘close shave’.<br /><br />They remained with the carnival. John continued on in his old job as a charming sideshow talker and Jean Carroll exhibited her new tattoos quite thoroughly, as a burlesque dancer.<br /><br />The two remained inseparable until John’s passing in 1951.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2008/02/millie-christine-two-headed-nightingale.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-702453-722848-719776-762826-793893-793456-754482.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><img src="file:///C:/Users/J2427%7E1.TIT/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/Users/J2427%7E1.TIT/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br /><br />image: Jean Carroll with husband John Carson. Inset, the bearded Jean Carroll. Image courtesy of <a href="http://www.mundieart.com/">James G. Mundie.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAmerican-Sideshow-Encyclopedia-Curiously-Performers%2Fdp%2F1585424412%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1162688788%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;tag=thehumanmarve-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325">Read more about Jean Carroll in American Sideshow</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Related tales of love, in honor of Valentine's Day:</span><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/04/bill-durks-man-with-three-eyes.html"> Bill Durks - The Man with Three Eyes</a><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/09/percilla-monkey-girl.html"> Percilla - The Monkey Girl</a><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/01/acknowledgments.html">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-63974908513801469522008-02-06T09:02:00.000-08:002008-02-11T02:04:18.836-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/millie-christine-762430.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/millie-christine-762419.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Millie and Christine were born into slavery on July 11, 1851 in the town of Welches Creek, North Carolina. The girls were joined at the spine and their owner, a blacksmith named Jabez McKay, was not sure what to do with the girls. Their parents, Monimia and Jacob, had previously sired seven children but clearly the twins would be of little use to McKay due to their bizarre appearance and sickly constitution. Eventually McKay opted to sell the eight-month-old girls and their mother to Carolinian showman John Pervis for $1000.<br /><br />Pervis began exhibiting Millie and Christine immediately but within four years the girls were sold to showmen Joseph Pearson Smith and Brower and then kidnapped. The kidnappers exhibited the twins privately, mostly to members of the medical community, for over three years while Smith and Brower frantically searched for their investment. They eventually located Millie and Christine while they were on exhibit in Birmingham, England. The law became involved in the situation and, as slavery was illegal in England, the girls were released into the custody of their mother. She, however, had no idea how to proceed with the girls in a foreign country and as a result she gave custody and 'ownership' back to Smith.<br /><br />While Smith continued to exhibit Mille and Christine, he found the public was not very interested. At the time, the anatomical novelty of conjoined twins simply was not enough to capture public attention. Smith decided to develop Millie and Christine as a performing act. Furthermore, he endeavoured to make the girls as extraordinary in skill as they were in appearance. To that end, he and his wife tutored the girls in music and languages. Millie and Christine were taught etiquette, social graces and were given music lessons. It came to pass that the girls developed impressive singing abilities and their singing prowess soon became the focal point of their careers.<br /><br />As ‘The Two-Headed Nightingale’ the conjoined girls started to gain a remarkable reputation. While Millie was a contralto and Christine a soprano, the girls were able to blend and harmonize their voices in incredibly appealing ways. By 1860, Millie and Christine were on the cusp of stardom.<br /><br />In 1862 Smith died. The girls were willed to his son Joseph Jr. and it was Joseph who catapulted the girls to stardom by using a clever bit of showmanship.<br /><br />Throughout much of their life, Millie and Christine were often considered one person. Due to their shared body, it was often unclear if the girls were legally and physically a single being or individuals. The girls themselves often referred to themselves in the singular, using ‘I’ in the place of ‘we’. Joseph Jr. saw opportunity in this confusion and opted to advertise the girls from a new perspective.<br /><br />The girls became Millie-Christine, a girl with two heads, four arms and four legs.<br /><br />The concept of such an incredible phenomenon drew immediate crowds and Millie-Christine enjoyed immediate and world-wide popularity. Furthermore, it was the singing of ‘The Two-Headed Nightingale’ that quickly gained predominance over appearance and Millie-Christine eventually performed for European royalty, including the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria. Mille-Christine became renowned for singing, playing the guitar and piano in unison and dancing the waltz in front of thousands of people in the greatest halls and venues of the world.<br /><br />Soon, the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect and Millie-Christine was free. During the course of her career, Millie-Christine earned more than $250,000.<br /><br />Millie-Christine preformed until the age of fifty-eight. Once retired, Millie-Christine became Millie and Christine once again. The sisters built a home in Columbus, North Carolina where they lived quietly until their passing on October 8, 1912. Millie went first, succumbing to tuberculosis, and her sister followed seventeen hours later.<br /><br />They were sixty-one, the oldest conjoined twins on record.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2008/01/rosa-josepha-blazek-bohemian-twins.html"><img src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-702453-722848-719776-762826-793893-793456.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">To learn more about Millie-Christine purchase </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMillie-Christine-Fearfully-Wonderfully-Joanne-Martell%2Fdp%2F0895871882%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1202317379%26sr%3D8-1&amp;tag=thehumanmarve-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325">Millie-Christine : Fearfully And Wonderfully Made </a><span style="font-style: italic;">by Joanne Martell</span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Related and in honor of Black History Month:<br /></span></span><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/05/willie-and-george-muse-men-from-mars.html">Willie and George Muse – The Men From Mars</a><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/05/george-williams-turtle-boy.html"> George Williams - The Turtle Boy</a><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/06/prince-randian-human-caterpillar.html"> Prince Randian - The Human Caterpillar</a><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/05/pinhead-what-is-it.html">Zip The Pinhead - What is it?</a><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/01/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-13215063786245654422008-01-17T10:08:00.000-08:002008-01-20T15:55:15.674-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/blazek-764787.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/blazek-764785.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The conjoined sisters Rosa and Josepha Blažek were born in Skrejšov, Bohemia on January 20, 1878. The two were pygopagus - joined at the posterior. They shared tissue and cartilage but were also joined at a thoracic vertebra. It was that delicate fusion that negated any possibility of separation and when their mother took them to Paris at the age of thirteen, doctors told her just that.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />It was in Paris were the twins began their career in professional exhibition. Depending what story you believe, until that point their mother was either adamantly against displaying her daughters for profit or limited their publicity to local fairs. But the twins themselves saw Paris as an opportunity to get out of their tiny village. They found a manager, learned to sing and play the xylophone, and began drawing crowds.<br /><br />Like many conjoined performers, much was made of their differences in personality and tastes. Rosa was considered the sharper of the two. She was witty and talkative while Josepha was introverted. Physically Rosa was the more dominant of the two sisters. Josepha was slightly more deformed than her sister, with her left leg being substantially shorter than her right. In matters of promotion the pair was heavily sexualized and posters for their appearance at the Theatre Imperial de la Gaiete featured with bared midriffs and tight corsets. As a result the public conjectured on their sexual activity and the complications their physical condition posed.<br /><br />The Blažek sisters were famous in the 1890’s as they toured Europe. They eventually become quite skilled on the violin and stunned crowds with their enthusiastic duets. But, by the turn of the twentieth century, their popularity quickly evaporated due to poor management and overexposure.<br /><br />Their obscurity was shattered in 1909 when Rosa claimed to be pregnant. Controversy spread like wildfire and rekindled their celebrity.<br /><br />To the public, the idea of such a liaison was bewildering. Although the twins had separate vaginae, their physical proximity seemingly made any tryst a ménage à trois. The newspapers filled with rumour laced articles. Some believed the twins were sex crazed harlots; others depicted Josepha as an unwilling victim. Rosa claimed she had only had intercourse once and she refused to name the father. There was much speculation that their manager was the father and legend has it he gave the girls 95,000 marks for three years to keep the duo quiet. Regardless of the paternity, on April 16 1910 ‘Little Franz’ entered the picture.<br /><br />As Franz grew, he joined the twins' travelling show as ‘The Son of Two Mothers’ and with their newfound celebrity the three of them left Europe and appeared in the 1893 Columbian Exposition in New York. The twins set their sights on vaudeville and established a base in Chicago but their dream of the American stage was cut short when Rosa fell ill with influenza. As Rosa recovered, Josepha became sick and her illness soon overcame her. Doctors were uncertain of the diagnosis and shortly after being admitted into Chicago’s West End Hospital on March 22, 1922, Rosa fell into a coma.<br /><br />A brother, Frank, appeared out of nowhere and once Rosa also succumbed to a coma Frank spoke for the sisters. Newspapers disagree on the final days of the Blažek twins. Some claim Frank would not allow any attempt at surgical separation and others claimed Rosa was adamant about remaining joined or just as adamant about being separated. All newspapers agreed that Frank was a gold digger who only had his eye on their fortune.<br /><br />Josepha Blažek died on March 30, 1922. Rosa followed her twelve minutes later. With their death, another media frenzy began around who was entitled to their fortune. Soon after they were laid to rest, the matter was a moot point. It was discovered that the pair only had a savings of $400 between them.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Postscript</span><br /><br />Even today, much controversy exists regarding the origins of Franz. Many historians and authors believe that the boy was nothing more than a well timed publicity stunt. While an autopsy confirmed that the two had separate uteri, it fails to mention any evidence of pregnancy. In fact, any evidence points to the contrary.<br /><br />In addition, stories of the paternity of Franz changed during the time the boy toured. At one point it was claimed that the baby boy was named after his father, a soldier named Franz Dvorak. It was claimed that Rosa married the soldier shortly before his death in 1917. But there is no record of the marriage, nor did the man ever appear publicly with his family. It was likely a story engineered to evoke sympathy and further attendance.<br /><br />It is known that Franz did spend time in an orphanage, and some believe that is where the boy originated from in the first place.<br /><br />The fate of Franz is currently unknown as he disappeared into history following the death of the Blažek twins.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/12/eugen-sandow-father-of-bodybuilding.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-702453-722848-719776-762826-793893.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-45956989830755790792007-12-20T09:19:00.000-08:002008-01-07T21:21:47.971-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Eugen-Sandow-771838.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Eugen-Sandow-771835.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>In the Victorian era, Eugen Sandow must have physically appeared godly. While professional strongmen existed long before Sandow appeared, none possessed such a chiselled physique previously.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />He was born Friederich Wilhelm Mueller in Königsberg, Prussia in 1867, in what is today Kaliningrad, Russia. By the time he was 19, Sandow was already performing strongman stunts in various sideshows. He was initially known for his impressive barbell routines and for breaking a chain locked around his chest. However audiences quickly became far more fascinated by Eugen Sandow's bulging muscles than by the amount of weight he was able to hoist. As a result, Sandow developed and performed poses. He dubbed these displays ‘muscle display performances’ and the routine was a precursor to the bodybuilding competition posses we see today. His routines and physique quickly made Sandow a sensation and a highly sought after carnival attraction.<br /><br />Sandow was compared to a Roman god. His resemblance to the physiques of classic Greek and Roman sculpture was no accident. Sandow had visited Italy as a child and it was there, after gazing and admiring the bulging physiques of the ancient gods, that his passion for sculpting his body took root. In training, Sandow actually measured the marble artworks in museums. He viewed them as ‘The Grecian Ideal’ and as a formula for the ‘perfect physique’. Sandow eventually built his physique to the exact proportions of Greek and Roman Sculpture and, in the process, became one of the first athletes to intentionally develop his musculature to pre-determined dimensions. Today he is considered by many to be ‘The Father of Bodybuilding’.<br /><br />Sandow performed all over Europe, and went to America to perform at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. There he could be seen in a black velvet-lined box with his body covered in white powder to appear even more like a marble statue come to life. His popularity grew, due to his cultured appearance, high intelligence, and well-mannered disposition. He also dressed very well and had a charming European accent, coupled with deep blue eyes and hearty laugh. He was befriended by the likes of King George V of the United Kingdom, Thomas Edison and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He eventually married to a Blanche Brooks Sandow and had two daughters. But he was constantly in the company of other women who actually paid money to feel his flexed muscles after his stage performances. Sandow also had a close relationship to a male musician and composer he hired to accompany him during his shows. The degree of their relationship has never been determined, but they lived together in New York for a time. It is clear Blanche was jealous of his relationships.<br /><br />Sandow was also a very astute businessman. He authored five books, owned a mail-order physical instruction and exercise equipment business and was the inventor of a unique spring-loaded dumbbell and a weighted rubber band resistance training system. Sandow’s fame was instrumental in popularising home training equipment. Sandow also produced and promoted Sandow Cigars, Sandow's Health &amp; Strength Cocoa and <span style="font-style: italic;">Sandow</span>, a magazine devoted to physical culture. He opened a Physical Culture Studio in London, one of the first health clubs to contrast starkly with the 'sweaty' gymnasiums that had already existed, and he made exercise fashionable for all classes. Sandow organized the first ever bodybuilding contest on September 14, 1901 called the ‘Great Competition’ and held it in the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK. The event was judged by himself, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the contest was a huge success and was a sell-out with hundreds of fans turned away.<br /><br />At the time of his death in 1925, a cover story was released stating Sandow died prematurely at age 58 of a stroke shortly after pushing his car out of the mud. The actual cause of death was more likely due to complications from syphilis. Sandow was buried in an unmarked grave at the request of his wife, Blanche (who never divorced him) at Putney Vale Cemetery near London. In 2002, a gravestone and black marble plaque was added by Sandow admirer and author Thomas Manly. The gold-lettered inscription reads Eugen Sandow, 1867-1925 the Father of Bodybuilding.<br /><br />Since 1977 , as recognition of his contribution to the sport of bodybuilding, a bronze statue of Sandow has been presented to Mr Olympia winners. The statue is simply known as ‘The Sandow’.<br /><br />VIDEO: In 1894, Sandow featured in a short film by the Edison Studios. The film was of only part of the show and features him flexing his muscles rather than performing any feats of physical strength.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wLJtjEv-Ik">You may View the video here</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wLJtjEv-Ik">.</a><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/12/maximo-and-bartola-aztec-children.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-702453-722848-719776-762826.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-82363530065452114232007-12-05T08:43:00.000-08:002007-12-30T14:01:58.230-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/maximo-bartola-787333.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/maximo-bartola-787330.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Maximo and Bartola first appeared in 1848 and the hoax perpetrated by their handler in the spirit of shameless promotion not only sustained their long careers, but also the careers of two generations to come.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Maximo and Bartola were born microcephalic and were originally from the village of Decora in St. Salvador. The pair were quite intellectually slow and required special care. Their mother, Marina Espina, was conned into handing her unique children over to a Spanish trader named Ramon Selva. Ramon promised to take the pinheaded children to America, where he assured Maria they would be cured of their condition. Instead, Ramon sold Maximo and Bartola to an American promoter named Morris.<br /><br />Morris concocted an incredible story to introduce the children to the American public.<br /><br />At the time, America was frothing around the display of 'ethnological curiosities'. Interest in the Mayan civilization was peaking due to recent explorations and publications. Morris sold a forty-eight page booklet in conjunction with his exhibiting of Maximo and Bartola to capitalize on the recent appetite of the public. <span style="font-style: italic;">Life of the Living Aztec Children</span> told the elaborate 'true story' surrounding the discovery of Maximo and Bartola in an Aztec temple in a lost city.<br /><br />The booklet alleged that Maximo and Bartola were found squatting on alters and that they were members of a sacred race once worshipped by the city's inhabitants. To further this claim Morris dressed the pair in Aztec-looking garb. Both wore costumes featuring Aztec suns sewn onto the front and their hair was allowed to grow bushy. This combined with their diminutive stature and proportionately small heads did give them a highly unusual appearance. But would the public believe they were members of a lost race?<br /><br />Rather than scoff at these wild claims, the public actually believed the pitch. To those who viewed them, Maximo and Bartola were the last remnants of an ancient civilization.<br /><br />Not only did the public show a great amount of interest, the scientific community clamoured for a chance to examine the Aztec Children. Numerous papers were published on the topic of Maximo and Bartola including the American Journal of Medical Sciences. Soon Maximo and Bartola were the darlings of the general public and high society. Eventually, they visited the White House as guests of President Fillmore.<br /><br />In 1853 Morris took Maximo and Bartola to England. There they were exhibited before the Ethnological Society and summoned to Buckingham Palace. During their public exhibition in London, they attracted three thousand people in just two days. Anatomist Prof. Richard Owen visited Maximo and Bartola and soon he and the rest of the European scientific community were debating exactly what the Aztec Children were and these debates further fueled their popularity. During their subsequent tour of Europe they appeared before Napoleon and his imperial family, the emperor of Russia, the emperor of Austria as well as the kings and queens of Bavaria, Holland and Belgium. Everywhere Maximo and Bartola went, controversy and conjecture followed. To many, they were indeed examples of an unknown race of people; they were the last of the Aztec Children.<br /><br />Maximo and Bartola eventually returned to the United States, this time for exhibition at Barnum's American Museum. Barnum renamed the duo as 'The Aztec Wonders' and many of the photos that exist of Maximo and Bartola are from this era of their career. Eventually interest in the pair died down as reporters and the scientific community moved on to other more legitimate discoveries. In an attempt to rekindle public interest, they resurfaced on January 7, 1867 in London and appeared to marry each other. They were married under the names of Senior Maximo Valdez Nunez and Senora Bartola Velasquez and, despite being brother and sister, it was alleged that by 'Aztec Culture' such a marriage was allowed.<br /><br />The publicity attempt was a complete failure and nary was an eyebrow raised.<br /><br />It is alleged that Maximo and Bartola continued to be exhibited until 1901 under the care of several different managers; the details of their eventual end are unknown.<br /><br />Maximo and Bartola were the first of The Aztec Children. For decades after that, most pinheads, even the famous <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/08/schlitzie-pinhead.html">Schlitzie the Pinhead</a>, were advertised as members of a long and formerly forgotten race.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/11/ralph-krooner-elephant-skinned-man.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-702453-722848-719776.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-63825962454212153982007-11-16T09:37:00.000-08:002007-11-16T17:04:51.199-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/ralph-elephant-man-702319.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/ralph-elephant-man-702314.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;">Ralph Albert Krooner was born in Montpelier, Vermont in 1888 and he owed much of his fictitious and show-worthy back story to the long-discredited medical theory of maternal impression.<br /><br />The theory of maternal impression was once a popular phenomenon that attempted to explain the existence of birth defects and congenital disorders. The theory stated that an emotional stimulus experienced by a pregnant woman could influence the development of the fetus. According to Ralph, his pregnant mother was traumatized by a stampeding group of elephants. The rampaging circus elephants allegedly killed five men, and injured twenty-one. Ralph's mother purportedly witnessed the carnage and was so affected by the episode that, four month later, her son was born into the world with an elephantine hide rather than supple skin.<br /><br />The entire story is, of course, a complete fabrication and taken almost verbatim from the promotions associated with Joseph Merrick. When Ralph was born, Merrick was already living in London hospital and had left his career as an exhibit far behind. Sir Frederick Treves, physician and friend to Merrick, published his book <span style="font-style: italic;">The Elephant Man and other Reminiscences</span> in 1923, which is around the time Ralph began his 30 year career exhibiting himself in carnival sideshows.<br /><br />Ralph's condition was unique during his time and was certainly not the <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/05/alligator-skinned-marvels.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">ichthyosis</span></a> (alligator skin) that many other strange-skinned performers had. Until fairly recently his condition was a complete mystery but recent events, <a href="http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/04/missionary_enco.html">like this one in Eastern Europe</a>, have shed some possible light on his affliction.<br /><br />Most recently an Indonesian fisherman named Dede has come to public attention. He has, what appears to be, a much more serious version of Ralph’s condition likely made much worse by decades of medical neglect.<br /><object height="355" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZkZO8XwnxeM&amp;rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZkZO8XwnxeM&amp;rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="300"></embed></object><br />The cause of Dede’s tree-like appearance was discovered by Dr Gaspari of the University of Maryland. Medically he has little more than the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers. However Dede also has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system, meaning his body is unable to contain the warts.<br /><br />It is quite possible that Ralph possessed a similar genetic impediment, but was able to keep his condition in check with routine soakings, filings and treatment.<br /><br />The eventual fate of Ralph is currently unknown however a Ralph Albert Krooner passed away in Tampa, Florida in 1952.<br /><br />image: courtesy of Quasi-Modo.net<br />video courtesy of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=MLYGYKBGOGQ2DQFIQMFSFGGAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2007/11/12/wtree112.xml">Telegraph</a><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/05/robert-melvin-man-with-two-faces.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-702453-722848.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-58824588952660516952007-11-11T02:12:00.000-08:002007-11-16T09:57:28.019-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/robert-melvin-791344.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/robert-melvin-791340.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span>The moniker ‘The Man with Two Faces’ has been given to many Marvels during the history of sideshow.<span style=""> </span>While few actually had two faces, Robert Melvin came pretty close. Born in <st1:state><st1:place>Missouri</st1:place></st1:state> on <st1:date year="1920" day="9" month="5">May 9, 1920</st1:date> as one of six children, it quickly became evident that Robert was different. He was examined quite extensively by doctors during his childhood and yet his condition remained undiagnosed for many years.<span style=""> </span>I wasn’t until later in life that Robert was finally diagnosed with <i style="">neurofibromatosis</i>; a disorder that causes the spontaneous growth of fibrous tumors. </span><div style="text-align: right;"><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span> </span></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span>Neurofibromatosis</span></span><span>, or NF as it is commonly referred to, is quite varied in its visible symptoms. Some patients are greatly deformed, some grown small nodules or ‘knots’ on their bodies, and some have little more than a few small brown birthmarks. There has been great speculation that Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man, had NF.<span style=""> </span>One look at the facial deformities Robert possessed and their similarity to those of The Elephant Man gives some merit to those assumptions - </span><span>although, it is still mere speculation.<span style=""> </span>For a time, Robert was even known as ‘The Modern </span><span>Elephant Man’. Many people were so shocked at Robert's appearance that many believed he was a fake - even a few noted doctors and sideshow historians.<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span> </span></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span>The tumors that afflicted Robert completely distorted the features on the right side of his face. While Robert was not allowed to attend school as a child due to his appearance, he did receive a full education and - through the power of his unbelievably outgoing personality - he became rather well known, respected and loved by his small town neighbors. <span style=""> </span>He never considered his appearance a handicap. In fact, once he entered the world of Sideshow in 1949 at <st1:place>Coney Island</st1:place>, his appearance became a great advantage.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span> </span></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span>Robert made a comfortable living with the sideshow both as an attraction and serving as the show accountant.<span style=""> </span>During the off season, Robert kept busy doing the books for a hardware store.<span style=""> </span>He also enjoyed a minor film career, appearing as a sanitarium inmate in Sisters (1973) - along with fellow Marvel <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/04/bill-durks-man-with-three-eyes.html">Bill Durks</a> - as a surreal demon in The Sentinel (1977) and also in the documentaries Being Different (1981) and I Am Not a Freak (1987).</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span> </span></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span>In 1952, Robert returned to his hometown and married his longtime girlfriend Virginia – a girl he had know since his mid teenaged years - and despite rumors that ‘it would never last’ the pair were married for more than forty years. The two had a daughter, who later gave Robert a </span><span>grandson and granddaughter. </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span> </span></o:p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span>Robert was known by friends and family – including the extended family he met in the sideshow – as a friendly, gentle, charming and intelligent man. When he passed away on November 19 in 1995, his funeral was well attended by those who loved and respected ‘The Man with Two Faces’ for the Marvelous man that he was.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span>image: Taken from the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0893810959/104-3396672-2714314?v=glance&amp;n=283155">In Search of the Monkey Girl</a>, published 1982.</span></p><p style="text-align: right;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/11/dick-hilburn-quarter-man.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-798880.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span></p></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-18513440453031931562007-11-05T20:42:00.000-08:002007-11-11T19:58:50.457-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/dick-hilburn-741566.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/dick-hilburn-741562.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Man is often greater than the sum of his parts.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />On January 15, 1918 an infant named Dick Hilburn was born in Bladenboro, North Carolina. He was born physically incomplete.<br /><br />Dick Hilburn was born with a single arm and physically little else. He possessed no left arm and no legs, only a vestigial two-toed foot protruded from his left hip. Yet, despite what would normally be considered a crippling handicap, Dick Hilburn possessed an unconquerable spirit and indomitable work ethic which allowed him to not only surpass expectations but to also exceed the ambitions of many able-bodied men.<br /><br />Dick Hilburn conquered his mobility limitations with little more than a rolling board. He used his arm to propel and steer his body and in the process developed great physical strength. That strength allowed him to hoist his body wherever he willed it with relative ease.<br /><br />Having dealt with his mobility issues, Hilburn focused on developing his mind and ingenuity. He proved to be a talented artist and became fairly well know for his skills with a tattoo needle. He was also sought after as a commercial painter of signs, banners, trucks and semi trailers.<br /><br />He possessed a natural business sense and rather than rely on showmen for exhibition purposes, Hilburn developed and operated his own show. He exhibited himself on his own terms and, later, added a second attraction. A young parastremmatic dwarf, a dwarf with twisted limbs, named Carl ‘Frogboy’ Norwood joined the venture and Hilburn generously provided for the both of them. During the off season the two operated a local diner, which was also owned by the one-armed wonder Dick Hilburn.<br /><br />Successful in life, art and business Hilburn was also successful in love. He later married an average woman who had all her fingers and toes.<br /><br />Dick Hilburn ran his sideshow until the day he died in June of 1971. He lived his life as any man free of handicap would. His only limitation in life was his mortality.<br /><br />As for Carl Norwood, he was managed my Hilburn’s widow for a short time before joining up with the great showman Ward Hall. He toured for a few more seasons before retiring and passing on in Atlanta on Feb. 24, 1976.<br /><br />image: Dick Hilburn circa 1958.<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAmerican-Sideshow-Encyclopedia-Curiously-Performers%2Fdp%2F1585424412%2Fsr%3D1-1%2Fqid%3D1162688788%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;tag=thehumanmarve-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325">Read more about Dick Hilburn in American Sideshow</a>.<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/10/jeffrey-hudson-lord-minimus_16.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-787362.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-13983029898505183622007-10-16T09:04:00.001-07:002007-11-11T20:02:07.444-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/jeffrey-hudson-780840.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/jeffrey-hudson-780836.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The tale of tiny Jeffrey Hudson is unique, to say the least. The tiny man famously known as ‘Lord Minimus’ and considered one of the ‘wonders of the age’ was a member of the royal court, fought in the English civil war, killed a man in an illegal duel, was eventually reviled and spent over 25 years as a slave.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Jeffrey Hudson was born to average sized parents in England’s smallest county, Rutlan, on June 14, 1619. His three brothers and half sister were all of average height and Jeffrey’s tiny, yet perfectly proportioned, dimensions quickly became apparent. His father tended the cattle of the Duke of Buckingham, George Villers, 1st and on his seventh birthday young Jeffrey Hudson was presented before the Duchess of Buckingham as a ‘fine rarity of nature’. The Duchess was so smitten the little man who stood only 18 inches tall that she invited him to join the household. His father approved.<br /><br />Only a few months after joining the household, the Duke and Duchess entertained King Charles and Queen Henrietta in London. At the climax of the celebration, during an opulent banquet, a pie was placed before the Queen. Jeffrey arose from the crust of the pie dressed in tiny suit of armour to the shock of all in attendance. The Queen was known as a collector of rarities and simply had to add Jeffrey to her collection. Jeffrey was invited into the Queen’s royal household and, in 1626, he accepted by moving into Denmark House in London.<br /><br />Jeffrey was one of several human marvels residing in Denmark House. The Welsh giant William Evans was among his housemates, as were two other dwarves. It is important to note that dwarves were not an uncommon sight in royal courts of Europe, but Jeffrey’s dwarfism was rare and unique. His perfect proportions were likely due to hypopituitarism, a lack of growth hormone, giving him the appearance of a man in miniature. In carnival slang he was a midget, in medical and correct terms he was a pituitary dwarf. Jeffrey proved to be a charming, humorous and light-hearted boy and he quickly became the Queen’s favourite member of court and a favourite of artisans and writers. In fact, he was celebrated in several poems and narratives during his early years.<br /><br />Jeffrey was educated in the Queen's household and learned the manners of the court. He was brought up in the Roman Catholic Church of her household and he learned to ride a horse and shoot a pistol. He was originally something of a jester but as he grew older, and displayed examples of intellect and cunning, he began to serve the court in diplomatic affairs. In 1630 he was included in a mission to the Queen’s home nation of France and in 1637 he travelled to the Netherlands to observe the siege of Breda.<br /><br />By 1642 the relationship between King Charles and the Parliament had deteriorated and armed conflict broke out between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians. As Charles led the Royalist army, the Queen and Hudson returned to the Netherlands to raise money and support for King Charles. When they returned to England, they found it in the midst of a full-blown civil war.<br />They were able to join Royalist forces at Oxford and there the Queen appointed Hudson a ‘Captain of Horse’ rank and Captain Jeffrey Hudson presumably commanded troops in cavalry raids orchestrated by Prince Rupert.<br /><br />By 1643 it became apparent that England was no longer safe for the Queen and Hudson escorted her to France and later he helped establish a new court in exile at Nevers. By this time Hudson had shed his previous clownish reputation and he took his rank and social position quite seriously. He tolerated no insults or entertainment at his expense and when insulted by the brother of William Crofts he challenged the man to a duel. Hudson chose pistols on horseback and shot Crofts through the head. Despite winning the duel, the episode proved to be the downfall of Hudson. Duelling was illegal in France and the murder of Crofts was regarded as a transgression again the hospitality of France. Adding to that William Crofts, who served as the Queen’s Master of Horse and head of her lifeguard, was livid and petitioned the Queen to administer justice. The Queen herself was both embarrassed and outraged by Hudson’s outburst and subsequently expelled Hudson from her court.<br /><br />Hudson’s life continued its downward spiral and shortly after leaving the court in 1643 he was aboard a ship captured by Barbary pirates. The Muslim pirates were well known for raiding the coasts and shipping lanes of Western Europe for plunder and slaves and, as was their custom with European captives, Hudson was taken to North Africa as a slave. There he spent the next 25 years of his life labouring.<br /><br />The date and circumstances of his rescue are not known but in the 1660’s several missions were sent from England to Algeria and Tunis to ransom English captives. During one of these routine ransom missions Captain Jeffrey Hudson was likely amongst a group of slaves release was negotiated for. His first documented presence back in England was in 1669.<br /><br />Upon his return, Hudson was a changed man. Most remarkable was that during his captivity he had added forty-five inches to his height. Such growth spurts are not unheard of in cases of pituitary dwarfism but the added height was not a blessing to Hudson as he was now simply a short man and not a tiny miracle.<br /><br />Few records of Hudson's years between 1669 and his death in 1682 exist, likely due to the fact that he was no longer a marvel. It is evident that he received a few grants of money from the Duke of Buckingham and the new King, Charles II. In 1676 he personally returned to London seeking a pension from the royal court. His timing was again disastrous as he arrived during a period of great anti-Catholic activity. He was imprisoned at the Gatehouse prison for the ‘crime’ of being Roman Catholic and he was not released until 1680.<br /><br />The ‘wonder of the age’ Captain Jeffrey Hudson died only a couple of years later, a penniless pauper. The exact date and circumstances of his passing, and his place of burial remain unknown.<br /><br />image: engraving by Nicholas Droeshutt found in James Caulfield's <span style="font-style: italic;">Portraits, Memoirs and Characters of Remarkable Persons from the Reign of Edward III to the Revolution</span>.<br /><br />For more information regarding Jeffrey hudson, I highly recommend Nick Page's <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLord-Minimus-Extraordinary-Britains-Smallest%2Fdp%2F0312316194%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1192551418%26sr%3D8-1&amp;tag=thehumanmarve-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325">Lord Minimus: The Extraordinary Life of Britain's Smallest Man</a>.</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/09/percilla-monkey-girl.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-707120.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-10213521226096226392007-09-26T19:14:00.000-07:002007-11-11T20:05:35.685-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Percilla-Bejano-776738.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Percilla-Bejano-776734.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>The case of <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/04/julia-pastrana-nondescript.html">Julia Pastrana</a> has long been held as a tragic example of exploitation. The remarkable bearded prodigy lived a life of manipulation and in death her body was abused and disgraced by callous souls and ignorance. The life of her contemporary could have easily followed the same shadowed path however her story is of true love, inner beauty and respect.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />During her long life Percilla Lauther was known by many names. Originally she was descriptively dubbed 'the hairy little girl' and later as 'the monkey girl', but it is quite likely that she will forever be remembered by those dear to her as Percilla Bejano – loving wife of Emmitt the Alligator-Skinned Man.<br /><br />The hirsute Percilla was born on April 26 of 1911 in the Puerto Rican town of Bayamon. Percilla had been born with hypertrichosis, she possessed two rows of teeth and drew immediate attention from the public and the medical community. Percilla's father was a native of Spain and he did not know what to make of his hairy daughter initially. Percilla's parents traveled to New York City seeking answers from American doctors and there they remained for seven months until Percilla's father developed the idea of exhibiting his daughter for profit.<br /><br />Percilla's father was not a greedy man. He merely saw an opportunity to make the most of the situation nature had thrust upon his daughter. However his limited knowledge of English and business made promoting Percilla difficult and he approached showman Karl. L. Lauther for assistance. Lauther was an accomplished promoter and he owned and operated several shows during his lifetime. He took an instant interest in Percilla and hired her on the spot. Lauther also hired an assistant to help Percilla's father care for the child after his wife returned to Puerto Rico. That arrangement was short lived however, as Percilla's father was shot and killed in Gainesville. Upon his death, and according to his final wish, Lauther adopted young Percilla as his own daughter.<br /><br />Percilla never said anything ill of her adoptive father, thus one may assume that he was a compassionate and loving man. In fact all evidence indicates that despite exhibiting Percilla for profit, Lauther was extremely sensitive to the public perception of his adoptive daughter. Lauther disliked the fact that the public took to calling Percilla a 'monkey girl' and verbally lashed out at anyone bold enough to call her a 'freak'. But the 'Monkey Girl' moniker stuck and Lauther gave in and began to publicly pair Percilla with a trained chimpanzee named Josephine. He may have had the last laugh, however, as the two attractions were juxtaposed. Percilla would warmly and graciously welcome guests to her exhibit while Josephine would rudely smoke cigarettes and spit.<br /><br />In the late 1930's, while performing with the Johnny J. Jones Exposition, Percilla met fellow marvel Emmitt Bejano, the Alligator-Skinned Man. Despite her heavy beard and his ichthyosis a sweet romance blossomed between the unique couple. The pair saw past their physical differences. Emmitt was a man with calloused skin who spent performance intermissions submerged in vats of ice water because he could not sweat. Emmitt was quite literally 'thick skinned' and he had a 'hard shell to crack' but beneath he was a compassionate, gentle, charming and passionate man. Percilla, despite looking more beast than beauty, was elegant, eloquent and possessed and enchanting singing voice. Before long Percilla realized that the gentle Emmitt was the love of her life and the two eloped in 1938.<br /><br />A year later, the couple welcomed a daughter, Francine, into their family. Unfortunately pneumonia extinguished her life after a scant four months.<br /><br />When Emmitt and Percilla returned to exhibition they were promoted as the World's Strangest Married Couple. Percilla and Emmitt shared the stage and most notably worked for Ringling Brothers and other shows successfully for over a decade. They appeared together in the 1980 film <span style="font-style: italic;">Carny</span> opposite Jodie Foster and Gary Busey. Eventually the couple grew tired of life in the public eye and opted to retire to a private life in Gibbstown, Florida. There the two remained madly in love for many more years. Their union ended with Emmitt's passing in 1995.<br /><br />Percilla carried on, clean shaven for the first time in her life, and briefly appeared in various documentaries and on the Jerry Springer show where she charmed the audience with stories of her beloved Emmitt and by shyly singing his favourite song 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary'.<br /><br />Percilla herself passed away in her sleep in February of 2001. She is dearly missed by all who knew her.<br /><br />Image: 'Priscilla' circa 1940.<br />You may read Percilla's pitch book <a href="http://www.sideshowworld.com/blowoffPBmg.html">here</a>.<br />A transcript of her Jerry Springer appearance can be found <a href="http://www.quasi-modo.net/Percilla_Springer_Interview.html">here</a>.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/09/caroline-crachami-sicilian-fairy.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-712707.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-21143826125128946772007-09-14T12:09:00.000-07:002007-11-11T20:08:08.686-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/SicillianFairy-756800.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/SicillianFairy-756796.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Recently a number of television shows, documentaries and <a href="http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2007/09/meet-littlest-angel-kenadie-jourdin.html">circulating picture sets</a> have generated great interest in the genetic phenomena of primordial dwarfism. These tiny people, these seemingly fragile, delicate and near ethereal human beings conjure images of gossamer fairies and quaint folk stories. Such enchanting imagery is likely the root of this new interest in the condition.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The first individual to be medically cited with what we now call primordial dwarfism was Caroline Crachami. The story of ‘The Sicilian Fairy’ is inspiring, tragic and empowering all at once depending on which version of her biography one believes. Regardless, her story is one that should be told and remembered for it demonstrates the greed often found average men and chronicles the careless exploitation of a remarkable human being.<br /><br />According to the pamphlet entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Memoirs of Miss Crachami, the Celebrated Sicilian Dwarf</span> Caroline Crachami was born at Palermo in Sicily on November 15, 1815. Caroline Crachami purportedly only weighted one pound at birth and measured a scant eight inches in height. Caroline was the only unique child of five siblings and, despite claims of exhibitions in Panama, <span>Miss Crachami</span> first came to major public prominence during an 1824 visit to England. While there Miss Crachami was accompanied by one Dr. Gilligan who acted as her agent and he exhibited her in Liverpool, Birmingham and Oxford before finally taking her to London where she was exhibited in Mayfair.<br /><br />Crachami caused a great amount of sensation and proved to be incredibly popular. Hundreds of people would cue up daily and the pay one shilling admission to view the nine-year-old nineteen inch marvel. For the most part, inside the exhibit, Miss Crachami would simply wander around the stage while listening to music. For a few shillings more one was permitted to handle the tiny girl, permitted to dance a little with her, to pat her head and feed her a biscuit or two. King George IV was and admirer as were three hundred members of the English nobility. More than three thousand members of high society visited and played with the doll-like Crachami and likely thousands more common folk did so as well.<br /><br />The exhibiting schedule was gruelling and on June 3rd of 1824, after receiving more that two hundred patrons, the tiny Miss Crachami collapsed and expired during exhibition.<br /><br />Her exhibitor, Dr. Gilligan, shopped Crachami’s earthly remains around to various medical institutions before selling them to the anatomist John Hunter for $500, and this is where the tale takes a tragic twist. Caroline was a child far younger than the nine years she was billed as. Modern examinations of her remains place her age at no more than three. She was also likely not Sicilian and probably hailed from Ireland where her parents read of her death in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Cork Inquirer</span>. Her father quickly ferried to England in an attempt to halt any dissection and autopsy. However he arrived too late and Caroline’s bones had already been stripped bare.<br /><br />The skeleton of Caroline Crachami now resides at the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons together with a few mementoes of her life including a pair of her silk stockings, her slippers, a ruby ring and casts of her face and arm. There Caroline forever stands next to The Irish Giant Charles Byrne, his seven foot seven skeleton standing as a silent protector.<br /><br />image: Portrait of Caroline Crachami by Alfred Edward Chalon.<br /><br />For more on the life of Caroline Crachami I highly recommend <span>Jan Bondeson's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&amp;location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCabinet-Medical-Curiosities-Jan-Bondeson%2Fdp%2F0393318923%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1178157111%26sr%3D8-1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;tag=thehumanmarve-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325">A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities</a> .<br /><br />Note: Caroline Crachami has also been cited as having Seckel's syndrome or 'bird headed dwarfism', however this diagnosis is not the consensus of the medical community.<br /><br /></span>Addendum: The family of Kenadie Jourdin-Bromley, the tiny child linked above, maintains a website. Her medical expenses are substantial and, if you wish, you can <a href="http://littlekenadie.com/about-kenadie.html">help</a> through a Paypal donation.<br /><a href="http://littlekenadie.com/">Link</a> <em></em><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/08/schlitzie-pinhead.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-737653.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-40116327891952942992007-08-24T12:01:00.000-07:002007-12-30T14:15:33.312-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/12775801_113537353021-749451.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/12775801_113537353021-749447.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The true identity of the pinhead known as Schlitzie is still somewhat debatable. The most common opinion is that Schlitzie was born as Simon Metz on September 10, 1901 in the Bronx. His birth parents remain mysterious figures to this day and young Simon was likely ‘sold’ to a showman for display. Yet, despite his rather traumatic beginning, Schlitzie would go on to be one of the most beloved attractions of all time.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Schlitzie was born microcephalus, a condition characterised by an abnormally small and often pointed cranium. The condition often resulted in retardation and Schlitzie himself was as cognitive as a four year old. Previous to Schlitzie, the display and exhibiting of ‘pinheads’ was nothing new. In the 1800’s pinheads were often exhibited as a species apart from man, as the last members of an ancient race – usually Aztecs – and on occasion they were billed as being from another planet. During his lifetime, Schlitzie was exhibited as all of these things. Schlitzie was most famously preceded by the pinhead <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/05/pinhead-what-is-it.html">Zip</a>, and even today pinheads enjoy popularity as a microcephalus man dubbed Beetlejuice frequents The Howard Stern Show.<br /><br />For much of his career, Schlitzie was billed as female. This was mostly due to his dress-like attire which was an attire choice based purely on his incontinence. While popular with crowds, Schlitzie’s biggest fans were his colleagues and caretakers. To sum up the reason for this fondness is difficult but the wonderment Schlitzie held for the daily mundane, his childlike exuberance, his eternal innocence greatly influenced those around him. Schlitzie was a ray of sunshine, and his smile and unconditional love shined on all those around him.<br /><center><object width="325" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xVTiU1zsm8o&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xVTiU1zsm8o&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="325" height="355"></embed></object></center><br />During his long career Schlitzie entertained millions of carnival and film goers with his antics. He was perhaps best known for his role in the Tod Browning cult classic film <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/07/freaks-motion-picture.html">Freaks</a> – though he also appeared in Island Of Lost Souls opposite Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. As a sideshow entertainer, Schlitzie was employed by every major name in the business. Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus, Clyde Beatty Circus, Tom Mix Circus, West Coast Shows, Vanteen &amp; Lee Circus Sideshow, and the Dobritsch International Circus all had Schlitzie in their shows at some point.<br /><br />Although Schlitzie had no known biological family, during the 1936 season of the Tom Mix Circus sideshow George Surtees, a chimpanzee trainer, became Schlitzie's legal guardian. Surtees was, by all accounts, a caring and loving guardian but when he passed in the early 1960’s his daughter had Schlitzie committed to a Los Angeles County Hospital.<br /><br />Schlitzie remained committed for some time, until he was recognized by sword swallower Bill Unks. Unks just happened to be working at the hospital during the off season when he noticed a very sad and depressed Schlitzie. Schlitzie missed the carnival, missed his friends and the adoration of the crowds. Hospital authorities eventually determined that the best care for Schlitzie would be to make him a ward of Unks' employer, showman Sam Kortes, and return to the sideshow.<br /><br />Schlitzie never truly retired. He was eventually cared for by performer friends and settled in and apartment near MacArthur Park Lake in downtown Los Angeles. In his final years, Schlitzie could be seen feeding the pigeons and ducks with his guardian, performing for people as they passed by.<br /><br />He continued to enchant crowds until his passing in 1971 at the age of 71.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sideshowworld.com/tgodschlitzie.html">For a personal account of the life of Schlitzie, click here</a>.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/08/radica-and-doodica-indian-siamese-twins.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-724725.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-60687080998579045262007-08-08T12:16:00.000-07:002007-11-11T20:16:13.943-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Radica-and-Doodica-740012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Radica-and-Doodica-740010.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The term ‘Siamese twin’ is synonymous with the medical condition of conjoined twins. The slang term is due to the mid 19th century popularity of <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/labels/conjoined.html">Chang and Eng Bunker</a>, joined twins who originally hailed from Siam. The brothers were so popular that their billing as Siamese twins came to represent their condition and not their nationality, even though the depth of their intermingled connectivity was not overly impressive compared to conjoined twins like the <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/09/tocci-twins-blended-brothers.html">Tocci Brothers</a>. The Bunker brothers were primarily joined at the chest by only a band of cartilage.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />In 1888 in Orissa, India twin girls were born connected in a similar manner. While the birth of conjoined twins was often viewed as highly unusual, the superstitious residents of their village saw the girls as ‘symbols of divine wrath’ and lobbied for their expulsion. Their father, distraught by the appearance of his daughters, moved to physically separate the girls by his own hand but local officials rescued the infants and the monks of a local temple took over their care. The monks named the girls Radica and Doodica.<br /><br />In 1893 Radica and Doodica were sold to London showman Captain Colman. The sisters began a career exhibiting themselves across Europe often paired with another Colman prodigy, a dwarf billed as the smallest man in the world, Peter the Small. It has been said that Colman treated the girls as an adoptive father and not exclusively as an exploitive promoter. The girls seemed happy and they had each other, until Doodica developed tuberculosis in 1902.<br /><br />In Paris Dr. Eugene-Louis Doyen separated the sisters in an effort to save Radica. Doyen was a pioneering medical filmmaker and filmed the twins’ surgery as <span style="font-style: italic;">La Separation de Doodica-Radica</span>.<br /><br />The operation was considered a success initially and Doodica passed shortly afterward from tuberculosis. However, the separation came too late as Radica contracted tuberculosis from her sister and passed on in 1903.<br /><br />She spent the last year of her life in a Paris sanatorium, alone.<br /><br />Sections of Doyen’s filmed separation surgery were last shown in the UK documentary series The Last Machine in 1995. Previously, the film was often shown in grindhouse styled sideshows spliced into exploitation ‘freak’ films.<br /><br />image: Email submission, appears to be from Quasi-Modo<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/07/ben-dova-drunk-daredevil.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-720353.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/11/acknowledgments.html/">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</a></span><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-44912141641826044882007-07-24T08:50:00.000-07:002008-02-11T02:04:50.379-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Ben-Dova-742973.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Ben-Dova-742971.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Ben Dova was born in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Strasbourg</st1:place></st1:city> on March 14, 1905 as Joseph Späh. After immigrating to the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>, as a young man, he took an interest in vaudeville and became quite an adept acrobat and contortionist.<o:p> </o:p><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"> <p class="MsoNormal">Ben Dova was perhaps best known for his signature ‘convivial inebriate’ act. His act consisted of Dova playing a quirky drunkard. He would swaggeringly stagger out onto the stage, dressed in a rumpled top hat and wrinkled tails, and would feign falling into the audience while perform wonderfully limber moves. It appeared to the audience as though Ben Dova would topple at any moment and he teased such a disaster, only to steady himself and proceed. He would search, for a comical length of time, through his pockets for a cigarette which was in his mouth during the entire time. Then, at this point, he would climb a street lamp to light his cigarette. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">While perched atop the lamp the lamp would begin to sway back and forth, eventually to an alarming degree. Dova would hold on and begin an astounding acrobatic routine heighten by his seemingly intoxicated state. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">To some, Dova’s act was comedic and entertaining fluff, however in 1933 that all changed. For the benefit of American newsreels Ben Dova performed his act atop <st1:state st="on">New York</st1:state>’s 56 storey <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Chanin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Building</st1:placetype></st1:place> with no net, no wires and no camera tricks. Theatre audiences were terrified by what they saw and genuinely feared for Dova’s personal safety. Fainting at the sight of the newsreel was documented. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv6DjMpY04I">Here, in all its unbelievable glory is the great Ben Dova performing atop the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Chanin</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Building</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</a> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dova’s remarkable survivability did not stop there. On May 3^rd, 1937 he was a passenger aboard the ill-fated airship The Hindenburg. He survived the disaster by climbing out a window and dangling until the airship was close enough to the ground to execute an acrobatic tumble. Physically he suffered only a sprained ankle in the ordeal but long after the disaster, many people wrongfully fingered Dova as a saboteur. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dova continued performing his ‘convivial inebriate’ act well into the 1970’s before retiring to simple acting jobs. His most notable role was opposite Laurence Olivier in the 1976 film <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Marathon</st1:city> <st1:state st="on">Man.</st1:state></st1:place> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ben Dova eventually succumbed to old age in September of 1986. He had lived his long life as a successful entertainer, daredevil and survivor.</p><p class="MsoNormal">image: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv6DjMpY04I">Watch Ben Dova defy death atop New York's </a><st1:place st="on"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv6DjMpY04I"><st1:placename st="on">Chanin</st1:placename> </a><st1:placetype st="on"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv6DjMpY04I">Building on Youtube</a>.</st1:placetype></st1:place> </p> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/07/sarah-biffen-limbless-artisan.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/previousp-752501.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/01/acknowledgments.html/"><span style="font-size:85%;">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</span></a><br /></div>J. Tithonus Pednaudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18073567694178885386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37111880.post-10720139009244805152007-07-19T20:11:00.000-07:002007-11-11T20:22:22.017-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/Sarah_Biffen-744394.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;"