Back in the late 1800’s until the early 1900’s, traveling sideshows were at its peak. Many times, these circus’s would bring along animals and people with incredible talents for pit stops all over the world. A lot of the time, these circus’s would feature bizarre acts and creepy talents, like sword swallowing or breathing fire. A lot of the time, they would also feature people with physical deformities who performed comedy acts or had interesting talents. These photos depict the best of the best! They were truly dedicated to their practices in the circus and delivered incredible acts of entertainment despite the obvious exploitation of some of the performer’s abnormalities. A lot of these famous performers were featured in American Horror Story: Freak Show.
Koo-Koo (1879 – 1960)
Koo Koo the Bird Girl was taken from a mental asylum in order to perform in the circus. When she was born in 1879, she was diagnosed with a rare congenital growth skeletal disorder called Virchow-Seckel syndrome. People with this defect have a short stature, small head, and bird-like facial features. She also suffered from a mild intellectual disability.
The Human Owl (1886 – 1955)
Martin Joe Laurello was able to spin his head around 180 degrees due to a few dislocated vertebrae. He would do it just for fun, but then he was noticed by popular circus acts and was welcomed to many sideshows.
Frank ‘Cannonball’ Richards (1887 – 1969)
Frank Richards was best known for exploding cannonballs into his stomach and survive. Constantly. In fact, his act was known as the Human Punching Bag. He even let his friends punch him in the gut, just like Houdini. Sometimes, audience members were allowed to jump into the ring and try their best to beat him up!
The Human Caterpillar (1871 – 1934)
Prince Radian spent most of his life in the sideshow career due to his tetra-amelia syndrome. He was very popular in the business and was known to attract large crowds. A big part of his act was wrapping himself up in fabric and crawling around like a caterpillar. He could even roll a cigarette with just his lips.
The Human Pincushion (1912 – 1948)
Mirin Dajo is one of the greatest circus anomalies. He would stand in front of the crowd bare-chested and have his assistant pierce him with pointed objects, usually through his abdomen. Eventually, word grew about his act and medical teams caught on. When they examined him, they noticed that he was definitely getting pierced all of the way through… But, somehow was not in any physical pain. He could feel pain in other ways, but this was different.
Lobster Boy (1866 – ?)
Fred Wilson was one of the most popular circus acts of his time. He was born with ectrodactyly fingers and backward feet. It was actually a familial trait that had been carried down the line for 300 years.Â
Fanny Mills (1860 – 1892)
Fanny Mills suffered from a horrible case of Lymphedema. She had intense swelling in her limbs, which was incurable. She was first known as a medical anomaly and eventually joined the circus after they offered her $5,000 a year. She wore size 30 shoes.
World’s Smallest Woman (1864 – 1890)
LucÃa Zárate is the smallest and lightest person ever recorded. She was so petite that people were obsessed with her. When she was 18, she weighed in at four pounds. Her passed away from hypothermia when her circus train got stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The Headless Chicken
This chicken survived for 18 months after his head was chopped off. A local circus ended up taking him in as an attraction and named him Mike. He was popular with the crowds for sure!
The Four-Legged Woman (1868 – 1928)
Myrtle Corbin joined the circus circuit at only 13 years old. She was born a dipygus, meaning that her body axis split as she was developing in the womb. She had two separate pelves’ and even could move her inner legs. She was so popular that many other circus’ faked their own acts. Myrtle had a successful career in the circus and eventually retired, got married, and had five children.Â
The Elastic Man (1859 – ?)
James Morris was simply more elastic than most. He used this little trick to entertain his friends, and then his fellow soldiers once he joined the army. Word traveled about his ‘talent’ and he was recruited by circus’ and museums.
The Three-Legged Man (1889 – 1966)
Three-Legged Man, also known as Frank Lentini, joined the circus when he moved to America at age 13. He was an attraction for the next 40 years of his life. He had three legs, for feet, and two sets of genitals.
The Pierced Man
Any sort of body modification was hugely looked down upon back in the day. It was usually shocking and people did not partake in it. The Pierce Man decided to break that barrier and use this as a sideshow act! Nowadays, this wouldn’t even be considered entertainment, but he was very popular in the circus world.
Pip & Flip
Jenny Lee and Elvira Snow were born in Hartwell, George. They were billed as being twin sisters from the Yucatan, even though both of those claims were false. They were born with microcephaly, which explains their small heads. They had the mental capabilities as toddlers, which audiences liked. They were rumored to have a 12 year age gap.
The Legless Acrobat (1844 – 1924)
Eli Bowen was known as the legless acrobat, but also known as the most handsome man in showbiz. He was born with underdeveloped feet attached to his hips. He was interested in acrobatics and was pro by 13.
Unzie
It’s been said that Unzie the Albino was kidnapped as a child in order to be forced into the circus. He grew up within the business and was indeed popular. He was known as being very polite and complete gentlemen… He was even quite the ladies man! His biggest moniker was his giant hair. It had to be trimmed once every two weeks because it grew so fast!
The American Bearded Woman (1865 – 1902)
Annie Jones was born with excessive body hair. She was just nine months old when she was forced into the circus. When she was five, she had a mustache and sideburns for her act. Her parents received a $150 salary per week.Â
Schlitzie Surtees (1901 – 1971)
Schlitzie suffered from microcephaly, just like the Snow Sisters. He spent the first half of his life in show business and the rest in a mental asylum. Crowds loved him due to his androgeny, something only seen in the circus back then.
John Jennings (1845 – 1906)
John Jennings was one of the original strong men. He went by the name of Modern Sampson while he was in the circus. He showed the world just how strong every part of his body was. He even hung heavy weights from his hair.Â
The Wild Men of Borneo (1825 – 1905 ) (1827 – 1912)
These brothers were on the road with famous circus man P.T. Barnum for most of their lives. They were born was Hiram and Barney, but Barnum changed their names to Waino and Pultanor. He also made up the story that htey were captured on the island of Borneo after a violent struggle. All of this was fake, and they were actually just mentally ill and malnourished brothers.
The Man With Two Faces (1920 – 1995)
Robert Owen Melvin was known as the “Man With Two Faces” because of his neurofibromatosis. He was friendly, generous, and deep in his religion. After he was finished with the circus, he went to college, got a degree, and got married.Â
The Two-Headed Man
This set of conjoined twins were actually billed as one person. There isn’t much about them, other than many people thought that they shared the same thoughts and were actually the same person.Â
The Pony Boy (1895 – 1970)
Robert Huddleston was born with an advanced form of His real name was Robert Huddleston ongenital genu recurvatum, which is a deformity of the knee. He had to walk on all fours because of his defect. He only joined the circus for fun. Before, he was a farmhand and a carpenter. He ended up spending 36 years of his life in the circus industry.
The Minnesota Wooly Baby (1887 – 1933)
Alice Elizabeth Doherty is the only person ever known to be born with Hypertrichosis lanuginosa in the United States. All it is is the abnormal growth of body hair. When she was born, she was covered in two-inch thick hair all over her body. She went into the business when she was two years old.Â
The Living Skeleton (1841 – 1887)
Isaac Sprague was born a healthy baby in 1841. All of the sudden, when he was 12 years old, he began feeling ill after swimming in a lake. He quickly developed severe muscular dystrophy and lost an insane amount of weight that he could never get back.Â
Camel Girl (1870 – 1921)
Ella Harper has a similar disfigurement as The Pony Body. She worked in the circus business for a short time before she ran off and got married.
The Man With The Tail
This man was born with a vestigial tail, which was perfect for the circus life. Not only did he have the tail, but he was always very underweight, which made him an interesting person to look at in the circus. There’s not much else known about him.
The Tattooed Woman (1893 – 1985)
Artoria Gibbons will forever be known as the Tattooed Lady. She had beautiful pieces decorated all over her body. People flocked to see her tattoos and her natural beauty! He eventually married a sideshow owner and they lived happily together until he passed in the 1940’s.Â
Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy (1868 – 1904)
Jo-Jo The Dog-Faced Boy was born as Fedor Jeftichew in Russia. He also suffered from hypertrichosis. They had him acting like a dog during his sets, where he would growl and bark at guests.Â
The Living Doll
Anita The Living Doll was 26 inches tall and 13 pounds when she was just 26-years-old. She loved dressing up and wearing the finest clothing and jewelry. She was also very smart, and a lot of her performances were like college lectures!
Lobster Boy (1937 – 1992)
Grady Stiles was another Ectrodactyly performer just like Fred Wilson. Stiles basically took up where Wilson left off with the lobster boy.
Conjoined Twins (1878 – 1922)
Josefa and Rosa Blazed were born in the Czech Republic and brought to America just to join the circus. Josefa was known as a quiet and introverted woman, while her twin Rosa was extremely talkative and physically stronger. Rosa ended up having a son, Franzl. She is the only female conjoined twin in history to give birth to a child.
Sophia Schultz
Famously known by her stage name of Dwarf Fat Lady, Schultz was best known for her tiny stature and larger than normal weight. Back in the 1800s, being overweight was pretty uncommon! A few years into her career, she even began to grow facial hair, which she used to her advantage. She even penciled it in to make it more prominent! She prided herself in her act.Â
A Happy Wedding
These two performers met at and were married at the circus! Many people don’t realize that these performers had happy lives within the circus and many times found love, especially within the circus.
Frances O’Connor (1914 – 1982)
Frances O’Connor was known as The Armless Wonder since she was born with no arms. She was best known for her comedy acts, and would usually perform acts for crowds like knitting, sewing, and even smoking a cigarette.Â
Nicodemus The Indescribable (1869 – 1894 (?))
Born with three malformed limbs, Nicodemus the Indescribable was impressively strong. By the end of his life, there were some reports from 1894 that he drowned in a river, but then there are others placing him in Chicago at around 1908. No one knows what happened to him after his successful circus career.Â
Jolly Irene (1880 – 1940)
When Jolly Irene entered her mid-twenties, she was nearly 700 pounds. Even today, that’s a massive weight to be at. Back in the early 20th century, it was bizarre to come by, which is what made Irene such a popular sideshow attraction. She lived into her late 50s and died due to weight-related illnesses.Â
Miss Lucy Moore (1877 – 1920)
According to some rumors, The American Fat Lady was nearly 100 pounds when she was a child. She was a huge attraction in the UK, as they loved American sideshows. She died after battling cancer.
Sealo the Seal Boy (1901 – 1980)
Sealo the Seal Boy was an attraction because of his seal-like arms. He was born with a congenital medical condition known as phocomelia.
Contortionist Couple
This couple was not only incredibly flexible and acrobatic, but they were also known for having awesome costumes.
Susi The Elephant Girl (1909 – 1975)
Susi The Elephant Girl suffered from Ichthyosis, which causes the skin to become loose and cracked. Many believed that her skin was like elephants skin, so her name was born. It’s actually a very painful condition and Susi had to keep moisturized constantly or she would risk cracking the skin and getting an infection.Â
Princess Tiny (1985 – ?)
This actress entered the circus business when she was only 18 years old. Many belived her to be between 3 and 5 years old! At the time, she clocked in at 21 inches tall and 15 pounds. In many of her photos, she posed with furniture to show how tiny she really was.
Unknown Strongman
This small actor was known back in the day for his strongman act. Not only could he lift incredible weights, but he did it while being a third of the statue of the average person. He donned the usual ‘strongman’ attire and lifted incredible weights that wowed all of the crowds.
Woman of Steel (1884 – 1952)
Katie Sandwina got her fame by beating out superstar strongman Eugene Sandow. She feminized his last name so that people would remember what she did in a total power move. She was over six feet tall and 187 pounds and could lift literally anything she wanted.
The First Human Cannonball (1863 – 1937)
Rosa Richter was the first person to be launched out of a cannon. She got started in the business when she was 12 and began tightrope walking and other acrobatics. Her circus career ended when she fell from a 40-foot tall wire and landed on her hands and knees while a metal pole landed on her back.Â
Annie Oakley (1860 – 1926)
 Annie Oakley is known for her sharpshooter feats, but did you know she got her start in the circus? Annie joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show in the 1880’s where she performed as a trick shooter for 15 years.
Leona Dare (1854 – 1922)
Leona Dare was known for her heart-stopping stunts on trapezes suspended from hot air balloons. She also performed acts such as the “iron jaw,” where she hung from ropes with nothing but the strength of her jaw. In 1888, she accidentally let her performing partner drop where he fell to his death.
Gladys Roy (1902 – 1927)
The sister of three pilots, Gladys Roy was best known for her stunts on the wings of planes. Sadly, her life was ended during a stunt when she got hit by her propeller. Â
The Seven Sutherland Sisters
The sisters’ true act was singing, but everyone was stunned by their crazy hair. Altogether, their hair reached a collective length of 37 feet.Â
The Lion-Faced Man (1830 – 1932)
Stephan Bibrowski was given away to a German entertainer by his mother the day he was born because she thought that he was inhuman. His mother thoroughly believed that he was the way he was because her husband was attacked by a lion when she was pregnant, even though it was just a severe case of hypertrichosis. He then became the Lion-Faced Man.Â
Three-Eyed Man (1913 – 1975)
Bill Durks was born from frontonasal dysplasia. that left a large divot in the middle of his face. For his circus act, he painted on a large eye to make it look like a third eye.Â
The Penguin Lady (1910 – Retired 1960)
Mignon the Penguin Lad born with phocomelia which stunted her limbs and fused her digits together in the womb. Her act was walking around like a penguin.Â
Sideshow Boxers
Sideshow managers would find acts of different proportions and put them up against one another for the joy of the crowd. It was very popular and usually a given in most circus acts. It was all for the interseting visuals.Â
The Armless Fiddler (1848 – 1928)
Carl Herman Unthan took the world by storm as traveled playing the violin with his feet. The man born with no arms became a world-famous violin player.
Oliver The Humanzee (1970’s)
Oliver was billed as a ‘missing link’ on the circus route. They claimed that he was of man and chimpanzee… They even had a medical statement that he had 47 chromosomes, which is one more than man and one less than a chimpanzee.