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Video: Ladies forward: circus curiosities of the 19th century
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The circus in its modern form, with an arena and a dome, appeared only 200 years ago. However, then the artists, for the most part, entertained the audience not with their abilities, but with their unusual appearance. This review features the eccentric ladies who wowed audiences in the circus arena in the 19th century.
1. The bearded woman
Annie Jones became a circus star at the age of 9 months. The girl was born with incredibly dense hair on her head and face. But the parents did not have to grieve for long, since the famous showman Phineas Barnum found out about their child. He offered to take the girl to the circus, and the parents pay $ 150 a week for her. At the age of 5, Annie developed a thick mustache and beard. In addition, the girl did not cut the hair on her head, so in adulthood the length of her braid reached 180 cm.
In addition to her extraordinary appearance, Annie Jones had excellent artistic skills and musical talent. She was popular with members of the opposite sex, and was also married twice. A bearded woman died of tuberculosis.
2. Fused twins
In the middle of the 19th century, the twins Millie and Christine McCoy were born. All limbs were present, but the pelvis was fused. The twins' parents were slaves, so they couldn't do anything when their master decided to sell the curiosity to the circus. As they got older, the girls passed from one owner to another. In addition to their unusual characteristics, the girls had wonderful voices. Spectators flocked to listen to the "two-headed nightingale."
When the artists turned 30, one of them had health problems. The twins left the performances. It should be noted that by this time the sisters already had considerable savings. They donated their energies to charity. When Millie died of tuberculosis in 1912, her sister lived for another 17 hours.
3. Giant woman
Phineas Barnum's circus had many extraordinary personalities. Anna Swan is one of them. The height of this woman was 2, 29 cm. The showman found her when the girl was 16 years old. Despite her size, Anna led an ordinary life: she studied music and acting. Phineas Barnum persuaded a tall girl to get a job with him in a circus for $ 1,000 a month (this was an incredible amount at that time). In addition, Anna did not stop her musical studies.
Over time, Barnum found another giant. At first, people pretended to be a married couple on stage, and then they actually got married. Anna gave birth to an 8-kilogram baby, but, unfortunately, he did not survive. The giant woman died at 41 on her farm due to pneumonia.
4. Rope walker
Madame Saki (Marguerite-Antoinette Saki) shone under the dome of the circus at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. The girl was born into a family of artists, therefore, starting from the age of 5, she took part in all fair performances. As she grew older, the girl moved from the ground to the rope. All Paris flocked to see how she played miniatures on political themes.
When Marguerite-Antoinette was 30 years old, she decided to open the Theater of Acrobats. Even at the age of 75, Madame Saki managed to walk the tightrope dexterously. Besides curiosity women, there were plenty of men with peculiarities in circuses of the 19th century. Frank Lentini was called the "king of freaks", because. the man was born with three legs.
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