This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

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.

[Miniature Wedding Album of General Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren]

This page is referenced by:

Tom Thumb and the Traveling Circus When P.T. Barnum’s American Museum burned down in 1865, he decided to take his show on the road. Barnum created a traveling circus, complete with animal shows, scientific demonstrations, and a sideshow filled with extraordinary-looking humans. Sideshow performers were known by their stage names: The Human Seal! The Camel Girl! The Siamese Twins! The Bearded Lady! The Human Skeleton!

People around America flocked to the circus, and the “freak show” became one of its most popular attractions. Yet the people known as freaks did not just passively sit around, allowing visitors to gawk. They often presented themselves as characters, performed songs or physical feats, or engaged with visitors directly. Being a “freak” was a performance, and many people intentionally played up aspects of their own unique appearance to delight, startle, and entertain the circus goers.

One of the most famous performers to work with Barnum was Charles Stratton, known to the public as General Tom Thumb. Only 25” tall in adulthood, Stratton used his extensive training in acting, singing, dancing, and comedy to build Tom Thumb into a nationwide sensation. Though never serving in the military, he styled himself a “General” and presented himself as a member of high society. Stratton —along with his wife and fellow performer, Lavinia Warren— found enormous success through their partnership with Barnum.