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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.

Barnum's American Museum

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Barnum's American Museum In the early 19th century, museums became important places for the public to go to learn about nature, science, and culture. In 1841, the showman P.T. Barnum opened up his American Museum in the heart of New York City. The museum offered educational attractions, like its menagerie of animals and its aquarium. The extreme popularity of the museum was also due to its display of various wonders and curiosities. People flocked to the museum to see strange objects, like the Fiji Mermaid, which was said to be the body of a real creature, but was instead the head of a juvenile monkey attached to the body of a fish. Human performers, however, whose bodies were spectacular and strange to audience members, were the main attraction to many who visited.

While some performers, such as Tom Thumb and Chang and Eng Bunker, discussed in the agency path of this exhibit, had a say in how they were displayed, this was not true for many at the museum.

Another popular type of exhibit at the Museum displayed “exotic” people from around the world. Audience members were titillated by their bodies, skin, hair, clothing, and behavior. Yet these people often did not benefit from being displayed. Instead, the money went to their “agents,” who sold these performances to showmen like Barnum.

The American Museum burned to the ground in 1865, by which time it had transformed American entertainment. Not wanting to rebuild the museum, Barnum pursued a new idea: taking the show on the road.