What circus performers looked like in the past and what raisins they used to attract attention (15 photos)

Below you can see fascinating photos of circus performers who left their mark on history thanks to their external features.





People have loved the circus since its inception. Acrobats, colorful clowns and mysterious magicians - all this attracts people, captivating them with their originality. However, not always only ordinary people worked in the circus. Sometimes artists with extremely unusual and attractive appearances took part in the performances. It was their advantage and at the same time their punishment, since in the past city dwellers were not very informed about what ethics and tolerance were.

George Moore "Skeleton" and Fred Howe "Fat Man" - representatives of the comedy genre



Stefan Bibrowski - a circus performer of Polish origin, known as the man with the face of a lion



Stefan suffered from hypertrichosis - a rare genetic disorder that causes abnormal hair growth all over the body. His parents sold him when he was only four years old to a German businessman. The guy performed in Europe, and then in the United States.

The largest woman in the world and the smallest man (as of 1922) Nellie Blanche Lane and Clarence Chesterfield Howerton



The girl performed under the pseudonym "Merry Nellie", bragging to the public about her weight of 292 kilograms. The artist loved her appearance and was never embarrassed about it. Clarence was considered the smallest man in the world. It is known that at 18 years old he weighed only 5.9 kilograms with a height of 71 centimeters.

Maud Wagner — the first professional female tattoo artist



She worked for many years as a circus artist as an aerial acrobat, tightrope walker and snake woman. The world of tattoos was introduced to the girl by her husband, Gus Wagner. He did tattoos exclusively by hand, without using tattoo machines or any other devices.

Albino Unzi Cherkes captivated the public not only with his appearance, but also with his unusual hairstyle



Lucia Zarate is a Mexican-born circus performer who had record-breakingly small dimensions



According to the Guinness Book of Records, Lucia Zarate is the person with the lowest weight in recorded history. At the age of 17, she weighed only 2.1 kilograms. Biographers claim that the girl stopped growing at the age of one.

James Morris, nicknamed "The Rubber Man"



James could easily stretch his skin up to 46 centimeters from his body without experiencing any pain. This ability was due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Martin Laurello — the Owl Man



Martin suffered from a rare anomaly. His spine was curved, which allowed him to turn his head 180°. Martin himself repeatedly said that as a child he deliberately twisted his head, which dislocated several vertebrae. With his head turned, Martin could eat, drink and smoke. This was the basis for most of his numbers.

Mary Ann Webster, who received the title of the ugliest woman, but not through her fault



After 30 years, Mary fell ill with acromegaly. This is a neuroendocrine disease associated with excessive production of growth hormone. Because of it, the girl's appearance changed beyond recognition: the skull lengthened, the facial features became large, and the hands became rough, the feminine forms gradually disappeared. An atypical appearance helped Mary earn a living, because they did not want to hire her for a regular job, since people avoided any communication and contact with her.

Jakob Nacken is a German circus performer who became famous for his abnormally large height. He was 221 centimeters



Katie Sandwina - a strongwoman



The press gave her the name "Lady Hercules". Katie easily bent steel bars, tying them into knots, tore forged chains, lifted men and even went into the ring with them.

Francesco "Frank" Lentini became famous as an artist with three limbs



Lentini's condition had a medical explanation. He was born with a parasitic twin. His brother was not fully formed and was fused to his spine.

Isaac Sprague, nicknamed "The Living Skeleton"



For most of his life, Isaac weighed no more than 45 pounds. Despite his underweight, he fathered three completely normal children who did not have similar problems as adults.

Minnie Woolsey - the bird girl



The girl suffered from Virchow-Seckel syndrome, which caused her to be very short, have a small head, a narrow face with a prominent nose, large eyes, a sloping chin and large ears.

Fortunately, social norms have changed in our time. Using a person's atypical appearance for the purpose of making money is not welcome. Activists around the world are fighting to ensure that circuses and entertainment organizations do not resort to exploiting people's natural features and do not ridicule them.