Today, we’re going to talk about sideshow in film. There have been dozens of films and television shows to depict circuses and sideshows, but many of them take a rather ungenerous approach to the performers, either pitying them like the exploitation film Chained for Life or demonizing them like Something Wicked This Way Comes. ArtContinue reading “‘Freaks’: Respecting the Performer”
Tag Archives: sideshow
The Hairy Folk: Hypertrichosis in the Sideshow
The sideshow was a place where people could see all kinds of rare disorders and deformities on display. From achondroplasia to microcephaly to neurofibromatosis, all kinds of conditions were present, albeit with less technical names for the performers (dwarves, pinheads, and knotty men respectively). One disorder was unique in that it produced two different kindsContinue reading “The Hairy Folk: Hypertrichosis in the Sideshow”
A Brief History of Chang and Eng Bunker: The Original Siamese Twins
Have you ever wondered why all conjoined twins are referred to as “Siamese Twins”? It comes from the two men who became the quintessential conjoined twins of the 19th century, and basically all of history. Chang and Eng Bunker, the men for whom all other Siamese twins are named, were born in Siam in 1811.Continue reading “A Brief History of Chang and Eng Bunker: The Original Siamese Twins”
About the Author
“We are all ladies and gentlemen, and we act so. None of us are frights.” Charles Tripp The above listed quote is the thesis of this blog and the motto of its author. I’m Abby Adams, and I am the author of this blog. I am an undergraduate student at Washington and Jefferson College majoringContinue reading “About the Author”
Prodigies! A Sideshow History Blog 