5 Startling Facts about ‘Freak’ Shows

Contrary to popular belief that P.T. Barnum pioneered the concept of freak shows, the allure of the strange and extraordinary has captivated human fascination throughout history. Meanwhile, individuals born with disabilities, often marginalized by society as unemployable, found an unexpected means of livelihood by showcasing themselves in sideshows. Particularly during the late 1800s and early 1900s, these performers earned substantially higher incomes than the average person.

The Tattooed Baby
Laura Lavarime, a tattooed woman, gave birth to a 15-pound boy who, it was claimed, was covered in tattoos that were supposedly identical to his mother’s markings. According to one newspaper article, “the strangest part of the freak is that the colours of the India ink used to decorate the mother are exactly reproduced on the baby’s body except the face.” Easily duped, the public was far more fascinated by the oddity of a tattooed baby than to care about how the stunt was actually pulled off.

Midget Shows
Midget shows were incredibly popular in the United States during the early half of the 1900s. One advertisement for a midget show at the New York World’s fair in 1939 invited people to come visit the “Little Miracle Town” that had been built for 125 European midgets. While little people were often a part of the ever common freak shows, if a show organizer was able to gather up two or more little people to perform for audiences, it was immediately labelled a midget show and visitors were charged a separate fee to witness the event.

Cigarette Fiends
Numerous strange characters made up the freak show exhibits. There was the ever popular sword swallower and the fat lady who, incidentally, earned more per week than her counterpart, the fat man. Snake handlers were also popular and there was often the wild man scene where an average citizen pretended to be a fierce man of the jungle.

Bearded Ladies
Bearded ladies were naturally a very popular exhibit in the freak shows. Many old newspaper accounts describe these women as charming, handsome, and well-loved. While it would be easy to think that these women led lonely lives, the reverse was actually true. Madam Meyer, said to have had a very attractive beard, had married and raised a large family. She was said to have been fond of domestic life and enjoyed her private time away from the sideshows.

Half Man and Half Frog
In 1902, there was a curious sighting of a frog man. According to witnesses, a strange creature came out of a South Carolina lake, made some odd sounds, and plopped back into the water. This was not the first time people have claimed to see a half man creature come out of the water, and the idea of a man-frog was a certain hit in the freak show circuit.