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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.

Tocci Brothers

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Performers and Photography In the 1860s, photography was a new technology. Traveling circuses adopted it to create and sell pictures of performers, often staged in professional studios. Freak show performers often dressed up either in very fancy dress or in costume, and they posed with props that often accentuated their abnormality. Photographs were then printed as postcards and sold at circuses and museums. Visitors could either collect the postcards or send them to people who were not able to see the circus themselves. Some performers, like Chang and Eng Bunker, had a great deal of say in how these photographs were posed and how they were presented within them. This was not true for all performers, but many did find photography to be a meaningful way to take control of how their bodies were presented and seen by others.