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Further into Imperfecta Living Curiosities: Agency and Exploitation of the Teratological Body Curiosity draws us to the monstrous. But seeing is believing: whether in a book, a museum, or in a show, for centuries people have flocked to see “monsters” for themselves. In the 19th century, many people born with non-normative bodies performed as “freaks” in circus sideshows. Circuses became a sensation and they served as a forerunner to the modern entertainment industry. This exhibit explores the lives of the performers and showmen whose livelihoods depended on the public’s curiosity about seeing wondrous bodies for themselves. Seeing is Believing: Visualizing the Teratological Body When it comes to the wondrous, seeing is believing. From this page, you can explore some of the ways that “monsters” have been depicted over the centuries. Woodcuts in early modern texts, preservation in medical museums, and photography all have been used to display people. These technologies allowed one person’s image to travel across the world and allowed their subjects to “survive” beyond death. What Does It Mean to be "Other?" What does it mean to be a “monster?” What does it mean to be “normal?” These are not objective categories. They have changed meaning throughout history as people have become exposed to a wider diversity of nature, people, and ideas. From this path, you can explore some types of “Otherness” that have, throughout history, challenged apparently objective categories and shaped the direction of science.

Charles Byrne - A Public Sensation

The historical record preserves evidence of many people with non-normative bodies who displayed themselves for profit, such as Charles Byrne. While it is easy to focus on these cases, it is also worth remembering that many-- indeed most-- people with “monstrous” bodies preferred to live outside of the spotlight, shaping their lives and earning money in ways no different than anyone else. The lives and careers of people like Charles are visible to us today because people during his life were so fascinated by him: he appeared in broadsides, newspapers, and pamphlets.

Charles Byrne was born in Ireland in 1761 and grew to over seven feet tall. As a teenager, Charles moved to London hoping to make a fortune displaying himself to the public. And indeed, he was a public sensation: Charles, known around London for his kindness and gentleness, became popular throughout the city and he earned money by entertaining audiences in pubs, parlors, and halls. Nicknamed “the Irish Giant,” Charles chose to use his extraordinary height to earn a living and even mingle with high society. He enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle until he died at the age of 22 due to complications from his gigantism, a condition of caused by an excess of growth hormone produced due to an issue with the pituitary gland.

You will meet many performers in the following pages. While these people earned a living on the stage, that does not mean they wanted to always be “on display.” Just as you have your professional identity (“student” or “secretary” or “doctor”) which is separate from your personal identity, so did these performers. We may remember them now because of their lives on the stage, but we should be careful not to reduce them to just their occupation or persona.

This page has paths:

Contents of this path:
1. Charles Byrne - A Public Sensation
2. Chang and Eng and Barnum Many of us associate the name “P.T. Barnum” with the circus. But before Barnum began the circus, he ran a museum. Barnum’s American Museum opened in New York City in 1841. The museum was home to many types of oddities, and many people with non-normative bodies found their way to the stage of the lecture hall in Barnum’s American Museum. Two of these performers might be familiar to you if you have visited the Mütter Museum: Chang and Eng Bunker.
3. Tom Thumb and the Traveling Circus
6. The End of the Show

This page references:

[The Mütter American Giant, ca 1935] The Mütter American Giant is the name given to the skeleton pictured here with Dr. Charles Humberg and Dr. Joseph McFarland, the then curator of The Mütter Museum. Purchased in 1877, the skeleton, believed to be a 22 to 24-year-old from Kentucky, is an example of acromegaly, a disorder in which the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone into adulthood, a similar disorder to gigantism, which Charles Byrne suffered from, which effects childhood bone growth. Byrne’s remains also ended up on display, contrary to his wishes, at the Hunterian Museum of The Royal College of Surgeons in Glasgow, UK.