COVE

Description

A freak show is an exhibit of natural abnormalities, often known as "freaks of nature", in pop culture. Physically unique people, such as those that are extremely huge or little, those with intersex abnormalities, and those with remarkable illnesses and disorder are many of whom are intended to surprise audiences, would be typical traits. Freak shows were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; from the 1840s until the 1940s, organized charitable exhibits of people with physical, psychological, or behavioral deformities were common. Although not all disabilities were genuine, profitability was considered as a standard aspect of American culture. Freak shows provided an opportunity for the general public to observe bodies that were different from their own, ranging from dark-skinned individuals to war and illness casualties to obscurely sexualized bodies. People believed that paying to see these "freaks" gave them the right to compare themselves to them. P.T. Barnum's American Museum was one of New York City's most popular museums for showcasing disabilities. Barnum bought The American Museum in 1841, and it made abnormalities the main highlight, following conventional America in the mid-nineteenth century. Many of Barnum's shows featured Charles Sherwood Stratton, a dwarf known as "General Tom Thumb," who was 4 years old at the time but was said to have been 11 years old. From the late 1800s until the early 1900s, freak shows were considered a valid component of American society. The shows were seen as a significant kind of entertainment by the middle class, and they were highly successful for the showmen, who profited off the disabilities of the freak show performers. 

One of the earliest artifacts I found is from 1852, featuring General Tom Thumb. General Tom Thumb was extremely popular across the world for his dwarfism and the entertainment he would provide to his crowds. In the artifact drawing, General Tom Thumb is standing upon a chair and is very miniature in size comparison. He is holding a top hat and dressed in a suit, illustrating he is older than his disability makes him appear to be. The artifact seems to have been a poster campaigning General Tom Thumb for his disability expressing puns in the title and emphasizing information about his dwarfism in bold lettering. The poster reads, “Positively for a Short Time Only” using a play on words to bring humor to General Tom’s dwarfism. The poster also reads, “The little General is in fine heath and spirits, symmetrical in his proportions, and he has not increased One Inch in Height nor an Ounce in Weight, since he was Seven Months Old! He is 14 Years old, 25 inches high, and weighs only 15 Pounds!!”. General Tom Thumb began touring in freak shows in the United States since the age of four when he had first met PT Barnum. Since he was a child, General Tom Thumb was thrown into the spotlight in order to provide entertainment or satisfaction to able-bodied individuals. General Tom Thumb seemed to have used his dwarfism disability to his advantage for the rest of his career. He entertained in freak shows until early 1883 and passed later that year due to a stroke.

Artifact 1: “Farewell Levees of Genl Tom Thumb Previous to His Final Departure for America : Positively for a Short Time Only : Every Day and Evening... He Is 14 Years Old, 25 Inches High, and Weighs Only 15 Pounds... / Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly.” Wellcome Collection, London: Egyptian Hall, 1852, wellcomecollection.org/works/qmzz7y57. 

Miss Millie Edwards was a dwarf and put on display in freak shows for her height inabilities. The poster advertising for Millie Edwards reads, “The most beautiful and fairy-like little lady in the world, now in her 15th year. Actual present weight, 7 lbs” alongside a drawing of her in the palm of a hand. The poster promoting Emily "Millie" Edwards' appearances as one of the Royal American Midgets at Piccadilly Hall in London, presumably around 1882. Millie is depicted in "Actual life-size" in a full-length blue evening gown edged with white frills, carrying a fan in her right hand and standing on a man's hand to emphasize her small size. Millie Edwards was involved in entertaining freak shows because of her dwarfism, but I cannot help but wonder if people were attracted to her for being such a small-figured woman. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for women who appear younger to be considered more beautiful or valuable, which could have helped Millie Edwards in her career as an entertainer in these freak shows.  

Artifact 2: “Piccadilly Hall on and after Monday, Sept. 4th : Royal American Midgets : Miss Millie Edwards... Two Receptions Daily... / Piccadilly Hall.” Wellcome Collection, London, Piccadilly Hall, 1882, wellcomecollection.org/works/h7s4embq. 

This artifact is a black and white image featuring Fred Roper at the head of a line of 28 dwarves in front of a half-sized “Midget Town” theatrical front. The buildings include a post office, midget palmists, and the ceiling above hangs potted plants. Fred Roper and the performers had enjoyed twelve years of growth putting on freak shows in Britain and South Africa during the 1920s and 1930s before moving to The United States for Morris Gest's "Midget Town" at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, having two thriving summers at the Fair, filling the intervening winter with freak show dates before successes began falling. The group was part of a tradition that dated back to the Victorian period eras, when freak shows were immensely popular, touring the country and performing in theatres. Along with very small individuals, there would have been some who are excessively fat, thin, tall, or with other forms of physical deformities (Siamese twins, for example), as well as entire body tattoos, the most popular of which integrated disabilities with comedic shows. Carnivals and festivals would have featured tents in which the 'entertainers' would sit and be gawked at as they walked past. These souvenir postcards were provided to the guests that attended the freak shows and were a technique for the shows to earn more profit and provide history of the time period's dwarfism and weight disorders, as well as other physical impairments. 

Artifact 3: “Fred Roper and His Wonder Midgets.” Wellcome Collection, wellcomecollection.org/works/a2rq3qd9. Accessed 2 May 2022. 

This artifact is one large image composed of smaller drawings of an American dwarf wedding between Miss Milly Edwards and General Mite in 1884. Each small image involved in this relates to the wedding ceremony and process, such as “presents the bouquet”, “signing the registry”, and “at St. James Hall”. While the image captures the wholeness of the wedding, there are still questionable features such as the average sized man carrying both bride and groom up to the “stage” for marriage. The wedding cake is beautifully tiered as the groom stands next to it and is the same height as the cake. The wedding took place at St. James Hall and the bride and groom were placed upon a table to be married. The image presents each step of the wedding ceremony; however, it is not a progressive piece. The dwarfs standing upon the table, the cake being the same size as the groom, and being carried onto stage are continuing the exploitation of these smaller people solely due to their size. The wedding was well attended and well-publicized. The pair was advertised as the "Royal American Midgets" and "General and Mrs. Mite" in various advertisements from then on. 

Artifact 4: “The Wedding of American Midgets.” Wellcome Collection, wellcomecollection.org/works/g5yqusx4. Accessed 2 May 2022. 

General Tom Thumb was one of the most popular performers of P.T. Barnum's American Museum in New York because of his height.  The wedding of General Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren was eagerly anticipated, with thousands of people crowding the block in front of the chapel. The newlywed couple's popularity grew swiftly throughout the country and even scored them an invitation to a White House event hosted by Abraham Lincoln. A new kind of Tom Thumb wedding had emerged when the Walter H. Baker Company released a tiny brochure in 1898 as a do-it-yourself handbook to the ultimate Tom Thumb Wedding since the custom had gained enough traction. General Thumb, his loving wife, and their wedding guests were all played by children. Throughout the early part of the twentieth century, Tom Thumb marriages were a nationwide phenomenon. The practice dwindled over time, but some churches converted it into a year-round community fundraiser. The practice was interpreted differently by each church. Some regarded it as a child's exposure to the concept of marriage, while others viewed it as a child's introduction to friendship. Tom Thumb weddings seem to claim that name due to a mockery of General Tom Thumb’s dwarfism. Today's Tom Thumb weddings bear no resemblance to General Tom Thumb's original wedding, the only remaining relationship is the name and children’s height.  

Artifact 5/6: Kellem, Betsy Golden. “At Tom Thumb Weddings, Children Get Faux-Married to Each Other.” Atlas Obscura, 7 July 2017, www.atlasobscura.com/articles/tom-thumb-weddings.