Lifting the curtain on the 'freak show': New book reveals stories behind Victorian circus acts' unusual celebrities, from a dwarf who was 'served' in a pie to the Mexican 'baboon lady'

Until the nineteenth century those with physical abnormalities were often shrouded in superstition and shunned from society.

Outcast or deemed unsuitable for the workplace, the unusual individuals were left to die without financial help until the 'freak show' was born.

On 23rd March, 1844, General Tom Thumb, at 25 inches tall, entered the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and bowed before Queen Victoria.

On both sides of the Atlantic, this event marked a tipping point in the nineteenth century - the age of the 'freak' was born.

Bewitching all levels of society, it was a world of astonishing spectacle - of dwarfs, giants, bearded ladies, Siamese twins and swaggering showmen - and one that has since inspired countless novels, films and musicals.

But the real stories of the performing men, women and children have been forgotten or marginalised in the histories of the people who exploited them.

Now historian Dr John Woolf uses a wealth of newly-discovered materials to bring to life the often tragic, sometimes triumphant but always extraordinary stories of people who used their disabilities and difference to become some of the first international celebrities.

His new book, The Wonders, allows us to meet the forgotten and extraordinary freak performers whose talents and disabilities helped define an era - uncovering the birth of showbusiness, celebrity, the impact of exploitation and our fascination with otherness.

Here Dr Woolf describes a selection of the people featured in the book...

 

Jeffrey Hudson: Court dwarf to slave 

Jeffrey Hudson was born 1619 in Oakham, Rutland, East Midlands, to a poor butcher named John Hudson.

Aged seven and just 18 inches tall Hudson was served to the 15-year-old queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles in a pie, in London, York House in November 1626. 

He emerged from the pie in a suit of armour, waving a flag - which must have pleased the queen as he was taken to live at her court.

Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson, 1633, oil on canvas, by Sir Anthony van Dyck (Flemish, 1599 - 1641)

Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson, 1633, oil on canvas, by Sir Anthony van Dyck (Flemish, 1599 - 1641)

Holding a role akin to a jester the boy was well cared for and paid a salary when he turned 21.

This all changed as the English civil war struck and Hudson became a warrior after rushing to the queens defence at the 1643 battle of Bridlington as parliamentarians attacked. 

Jeffrey Hudson at thirty years old with King Charles I. The engraving, made in 1821, claims Hudson was 'eighteen inches high'

Jeffrey Hudson at thirty years old with King Charles I. The engraving, made in 1821, claims Hudson was 'eighteen inches high'

Hudson was awarded with the title 'Captain' for his bravery and possibly even fought with royals in later battles.

In 1644, when queen's court exiled in France, Hudson was mercilessly mocked by courtier Charles Crofts.

After challenging him to a duel on horse back - bringing them up to the same level - Hudson fired his gun, killing Crofts.

This lead to him being expelled from court and on his return journey to Britain he was captured by Barbary pirates and enslaved for 25 years. 

He was possibly tortured, although we know little of his life, before being released and returned to home of Oakham in May 1669. 

Returning to London nine years later Hudson was thrown in gaol - spending his 60th birthday at Westminster's Gatehouse prison - as he was recognised for having been a court dwarf to a catholic queen in a city awash with anti-catholic sentiment. 

Released four years later he died an outcast in around 1682 and was buried in unmarked and unknown location.

 

Chang and Eng: The Original Siamese Twins (who became fathers, husbands, and slave owners!)

The eighteen-year-old twins were 'discovered' by two British merchants and brought to America from Siam in 1829, displayed as freaks across the West.

Chang and Eng complained that they earned very little and were given second-rate transport and accommodation.

They were constantly subjected to examinations by medical men with anatomists swarming the twins wherever they went - members of the Royal College of Surgeons conducted experiments on the twins.

Their manager even kept embalming fluid in case they suddenly died.

Chang and Eng: The eighteen-year-old twins were 'discovered' by two British merchants and brought to America from Siam in 1829

Chang and Eng: The eighteen-year-old twins were 'discovered' by two British merchants and brought to America from Siam in 1829

After 'increased tensions' with their travelling crew, comprising of the twins, a manager and their 'owners' wife, the twins broke free on their twenty-first birthday in May 1831 - terminating their contract and becoming self-employed performers, their 'own men', as they wrote.

After their time in the spotlight the twins retired from public life and opened a retail store in Wilkes Country, North Carolina, in late 1839.

They bought their first piece of land and became naturalised American citizens, changing their name to Chang and Eng Bunker in 1840.

In April 1843, Chang and Eng, 32, married two local sisters, Adelaide, 19, and Sarah Yates, 20. 

The marriage turned the twins into members of the Southern slave-holding elite, even receiving a 'wedding gift' of a woman named Aunt Grace from their father-in-law David Yates, a local farmer and part-time preacher - Aunt Grace eventually served as a nursemaid to Eng's eleven and Chang's ten children.

In 1846, the twins bought farms in the White Plains district, North Carolina, U.S, and built two houses a mile apart. They farmed tobacco, wheat, Indian corn and oats, owning a total of twenty-eight slaves by 1860. 

After their time in the spotlight the twins retired from public life and opened a retail store in Wilkes Country, North Carolina, in late 1839

 After their time in the spotlight the twins retired from public life and opened a retail store in Wilkes Country, North Carolina, in late 1839

Owing to the financial strain of the Civil War (Chang and Eng were for the Confederacy), the twins embarked on an international exhibition to earn some money.

They returned to London in February 1869 and displayed themselves alongside Eng's daughter Katherine, aged twenty-five, and Chang's daughter Nannie, aged twenty-two, who were physically unexceptional other than being the 'mixed-race' offspring of The Siamese Twins. 

By late August 1870, the family were back in America. Chang had allegedly developed a strong drinking habit and, on the return journey, suffered a stroke. 

Chang and Eng continued to tend to their farms and their financial situation improved but, in January 1874, Chang contracted bronchitis. 

In the early hours of Sunday, 17 January, he was found dead. The family doctor was immediately summoned but failed to reach Eng in time: he died shortly afterwards.

Although the twins were accepted by their community, in death their so-called 'friends' tried to make money from the twins by getting their corpses to the College of Physicians, Philadelphia, for a medical autopsy.

This occurred on 18 February 1874, when their bodies were examined, casts were made, their conjoined liver was preserved and both were displayed at the Mutter Museum.

 

Phineas Taylor Barnum: The truth behind The Greatest Showman (he was not that loveable!)

Phineas Taylor Barnum's foray into freakery began in 1835 when he exhibited a senile and paralysed slave named Joice Heth.

She was billed as the 161-year-old nurse of George Washington, although she was probably only 80.

Barnum lugged her across the northeast of America before she died in 1836 and he subsequently arranged her public dissection.

Barnum and the young Charles Stratton, c. 1850

Barnum and the young Charles Stratton, c. 1850

He then peddled claims that she was alive and that he'd extracted her teeth and starved her to make her appear older.

Barnum's foray into freakery began in 1835 when he exhibited a senile and paralysed slave named Joice Heth. She was billed as the 161-year-old nurse of George Washington, although she was probably only 80

Barnum's foray into freakery began in 1835 when he exhibited a senile and paralysed slave named Joice Heth. She was billed as the 161-year-old nurse of George Washington, although she was probably only 80

Some of this was hullabaloo but his stories propelled the freak show into the penny press devoured by the working classes.

Barnum then won over the middle classes with his American Museum in New York.

From 1841 to 1865 he transformed the museum into a respectable, family-friendly palace of wonders that centralised the freak show within the entertainment industry.

From the 1870s, Barnum popularised the circus sideshow which featured so-called 'born freaks', such as dwarfs, giants, skeleton men, and fat ladies; what we might call 'exotic freaks', such as 'cannibals', 'Zulus' and 'savages', and the 'self-made freaks', like tattooed men and those performing novelty acts.

It was yet another stage on which the freak show thrived, and another legacy that cemented Barnum's reputation as one of the great freak showmen (although don't forget his exploitation of the slave Joice Heth! Barnum was also a slave owner in his early years….).

'The Barnum and Bailey Show, Department of Prodigies', Olympia, London, 1898-1899

'The Barnum and Bailey Show, Department of Prodigies', Olympia, London, 1898-1899

Handbill for P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth, 1881

Handbill for P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth, 1881

 

 Charles Stratton, a.k.a Tom Thumb: The American Dwarf

Born on 4 January 1838 in Bridgeport, Connecticut; his mother, Cynthia Stratton, was a part-time cleaner and his father, Sherwood Stratton, was a local carpenter. They had two other children, ordinarily sized. 

'General TomThumb, wife and child', cartes-de-visite,c. 1860s. It was later revealed that the child was a hoax and that the couple never had children

'General TomThumb, wife and child', cartes-de-visite,c. 1860s. It was later revealed that the child was a hoax and that the couple never had children

Stratton was first 'discovered' by Barnum in November 1842—Stratton was only four years old and measured only twenty-five inches in height. 

Barnum gave Stratton the stage name General Tom Thumb and doubled his age so audiences would not question the veracity of this 'dwarf'

Stratton made his debut performance in December 1842 at Barnum's American Museum and was a great hit, acting like a 'little gentleman' and impressing the crowds with his comic mixture of skits, tricks and impersonations.

He then underwent a tour of visiting all the major cities in America under contract with Barnum. 

On 16 January 1844, Barnum and Stratton, six, along with his parents and a tutor, set sail from New York, the beginning of a three-year successful European tour that would take them to England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain and Belgium.  

Tom Thumb wowed the West - entertaining everyone from Queen Victoria to the poorest of her subjects and Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.

In England, Victoria's approval sparked a dwarf craze as everyone wanted to see Tom Thumb— 'Deformito-Mania'. He duly obliged with hundreds of performances to the public.

Charles Stratton, aged around four or five, and a man thought to be his father,Sherwood E. Stratton, c. 1843

Charles Stratton, aged around four or five, and a man thought to be his father,Sherwood E. Stratton, c. 1843

Many people were worried about this craze—the Prime Minister, Robert Peel, thought Victoria should be focusing on the industrial and political problems of the time. 

Instead, she was frolicking with Tom Thumb (and a raft of other dwarfs). Many in the press thought this craze for dwarfs reflected the poor state of English culture; some called for dwarfs to be institutionalised.

Stratton's parents were overjoyed—they were becoming extremely rich - but there is no record of the boy's own thoughts.

Charles Stratton's grave in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States

Charles Stratton's grave in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States

According to Barnum, when Stratton first left America in 1844, he was 'a diffident, uncultivated little boy' but when he returned after his European tour, in 1847, he was 'an educated, accomplished little man. He had seen much and profited much.' 

Stratton, aged nine, continued to tour—visiting Washington, Richmond, Philadelphia, Cuba and Canada, amongst other places. 

He had become a wealthy individual, helping his sisters, Frances Jane and Mary Elizabeth, by sending them to private school while his parents bought land and built a three-storey house fitted with servants.

By the 1860s, Stratton owned his own property, pedigree horses and a yacht he sailed off Long Island South. He was a Knight Templar and a thirty-second-degree Mason. He wanted to be accepted into society.

There was only one thing missing from Charles Stratton's life…Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump, born on 31 October 1841 in Middleboro, Massachusetts. 

When Charles Stratton first set eyes on her, Lavinia, who was also a little person was twenty-one years old, measured thirty-two inches tall and weighed twenty-nine pounds.   

The pair married turning Tom Thumb into a respectable gentleman and moved him away from his earlier rakish persona—but the implicit sexuality of the occasion was made explicit when Barnum decided to instigate one of his biggest humbugs.

Fully aware that a Victorian marriage was not complete without a child, Barnum claimed Lavinia had given birth to a baby girl.

During their honeymoon tour as newlyweds, when the couple performed to thousands of fans, a new child was 'rented' from fondling hospitals in each country they visited.  

On 23rd March, 1844, General Tom Thumb, at 25 inches tall, entered the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and bowed low to Queen Victoria before fighting her dog with a sword

On 23rd March, 1844, General Tom Thumb, at 25 inches tall, entered the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and bowed low to Queen Victoria before fighting her dog with a sword

In London, the 'General Tom Thumb Company' met Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, and Queen Victoria (allegedly introducing Her Majesty to their fake child). 

 From 1869 through to 1872, the 'General Tom Thumb Company' went on a world tour. 

They visited Australia, Japan, China, India and Egypt, amongst other places. Lavinia and Charles continued to tour into the 1870s and, in 1881, they even joined their old friend Barnum for a performance in his The Greatest Show on Earth: the large travelling circus.

Charles dropped dead of a stroke, aged forty-five, on the morning of 15 July 1883 while getting dressed. He weighed seventy-five pounds, having grown increasingly portly, and measured only forty inches tall. 

Two years after her husband's death, Lavinia Warren married another dwarf, Count Primo Magri, and together they formed the Lilliputian Opera Company that travelled America.

She died in November 1919 aged seventy-eight. Survived by her husband Count Primo Magri, Lavinia was buried next to Charles Stratton, on her request. 

 

Aztec Children: Maximo and Bartola (brothers and sisters who married…)

Allegedly found in the mountains of central America, in 1849, being worshipped as idols by Pagan Indians, Maximo and Bartola suffered from microcephaly meaning they were short in stature.   

They were put on stage in New York and Boston in 1849, for crowds to view their unusual appearance and were subject to scientific studies on them.    

In 1853, they toured Washington and visited President Millard Fillmore at the White House.

Advert for an exhibition of Maximo and Bartola, the Aztecs, c. 1867-1899

Advert for an exhibition of Maximo and Bartola, the Aztecs, c. 1867-1899

They were then taken to London where they were examined by the comparative anatomist Richard Owen at the Royal College of Surgeons; John Conolly, Ppresident of the Ethnological Society; and Robert Knox, the race anatomist.

By November 1860, they were being exhibited at Barnum's American Museum alongside Chang and Eng Bunker, the original Siamese Twins.

Despite possibly being siblings, on January 7, 1867, the two were married in London in a legal ceremony.

The pair toured with the Barnum and Bailey Circus—reappearing in England in 1889 at Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth and the Westminster Aquarium before finally disappearing off the British freak show circuit in 1893. 

They met Queen Victoria who allegedly bestowed them with lavish gifts. 

 

Julia Pastrana: 'Baboon Lady'  

There are no details of Julia Pastrana's early years although it is believed she was born in 1834 in the Sierra Madre region of Mexico.

Pastrana suffered from two rare congenital disorders that meant she had dark hair covering her body and face - with overgrown gums that made her look like she had two sets of teeth.

One story claims the girl was sold into show business by her parents as 'the product of an unholy union between man and beast' and was left to die in a forest.

While another suggests her mother fought for her acceptance but was forced to flee with her daughter from their Maidu Indian tribe when Pastrana was born. 

Julia Pastrana suffered from two rare congenital disorders that meant she had dark hair covering her body and face. Little is known about her early life

Julia Pastrana suffered from two rare congenital disorders that meant she had dark hair covering her body and face. Little is known about her early life

Pastrana and her mother were then discovered living in a cave by Mexican herders and Pastrana was taken to an orphanage where she was adopted by Señor Sánchez, the governor for the state of Sinaloa in Mexico, to work as his maid. 

This came to an end in April 1854 when she was persuaded to perform in a show at the the Gothic Hall musical theater on Broadway, characterised as the Marvelous Hybrid or Bear Woman. 

From there she became a fully fledged performer under the management of Theodore Lent, who she most likely met while performing in New York - Lent was thought to also have business in prostitution.

The pair married in Baltimore in around 1855 with Pastrana claiming Lent 'loves me for my own sake'. 

From this point on Lent controlled Pastrana's career - with other showmen claiming the woman would not take off a thick veil covering her face unless in the presence of Lent.    

The pair toured the U.S, Canada and London with Pastrana billed as 'bear woman' or 'baboon lady'.

Her early life was shrouded in mystery to preserve the notion that she may have been born as a product of her tribe's rumoured bestiality.

It seems Lent was particularly attracted to bearded ladies as in the 1860s after Pastrana's death he went on to marry another - Marie Bartel - who he sold to crowds as Miss Zenora Pastrana, the sister of Julia Pastrana.  

Julia Pastrana, after being embalmed and displayed at the Burlington Gallery, 191 Piccadilly, London in 1962. Allegedly, the dress was her own creation

Julia Pastrana, after being embalmed and displayed at the Burlington Gallery, 191 Piccadilly, London in 1962. Allegedly, the dress was her own creation

In 1857 Pastrana performed at the Regent Gallery, at the Quadrant on Regent Street in London, where she could be seen for the bargain price of one shilling from the gallery.

During her performances she danced the Highland fling, sung English and Spanish songs and spoke to audience members - she was described by press as a 'lady in every respect' despite her billing. 

Nothing is truly known of her origin although the story goes that she was a Mexican Indian.

After her stint in London Lent and Pastrana travelled across Europe performing her own play - but it was shut down due to obscenity.

A poster featuring Julia Pastrana, the 'Nondescript', advertised for exhibition at the Regent Gallery, London, c. 1857

A poster featuring Julia Pastrana, the 'Nondescript', advertised for exhibition at the Regent Gallery, London, c. 1857

The performer then joined the circus, touring Germany, Warsaw and Moscow.

In March 1860 Pastrana gave birth to a baby boy who also shared the same congenital disorders - he died at two days old from asphyxia.

Pastrana also passed away following complications shortly after the birth with her last words claimed to be 'I die happy; I know I have been loved for myself.'

After her death her husband Lent sold the bodies of his wife and child for £500 to Moscow University, intending them to be preserved in the University's Anatomical Museum.

He soon realised he could use the corpses for another freak show and repurchased them for £800 - displaying them in a less than dignified end at the Burlington Gallery, 191 Piccadilly, London, in 1962. 

 
The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age by John Woolf is published by Michael O'Mara Books (hardback, £20)

The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age by John Woolf is published by Michael O'Mara Books (hardback, £20)

The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age by John Woolf is published by Michael O'Mara Books (hardback, £20).

A U.S. edition is also available here.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.