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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.

The End of the Show

Depending on the path you followed, you may now have different answers to these questions, or if you have read both, perhaps you are able to see now that the display of abnormal bodies is not one thing, but rather a set of complicated relationships, relationships not only between individuals, but also between those individuals and their historical situations.

Still curious? Use the links below to return to the beginning or to follow another path.

Living Curiosities/Selling the Abnormal Body is an ongoing exploration. New content will be woven into the exhibit to explore other aspects of the teratological body as presented in Imperfecta, on display at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, PA until Fall 2019.

Further media, in the form of short audio clips from scholars and new images, will be added periodically as well. Check in, or follow us on Twitter @CPPHistMedLib for updates on new content.

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
Contents of this path:
1. The "Hottentot Venus" Saartje Baartman (sometimes called Sarah Baartman) was born in South Africa in 1789. At the age of 21, she was brought to England by her employer who wanted to display her for profit on the stages of London. Baartman’s body was considered wondrous because of the large size of her pudenda and she was called the “Hottentot Venus.” “Hottentot” was the Dutch colonial term for the Khoi people and “Venus” referred to the Roman goddess of love.
3. "Freak Shows"
4. The Perils of Reform
6. The End of the Show

Contents of this path:

Welcome to Further into Imperfecta. This exhibit is a digital companion to Imperfecta, an on-site exhibit at The Mütter Museum open through the fall of 2019, which examines shifting perceptions about abnormal human development, from fear and wonder to curiosity and clinical science. Further into Imperfecta is presented using a non-linear format, allowing readers to explore various themes by following interrelated "paths."
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 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.