Since the middle and late 19th century, thanks to the popularization of photographic technology and the need for publicity, almost all the deformed show actors will take photos, and a large number of photos have been handed down to the present day, along with the story behind the photos...
"Elephant Man"
Poster for the film The Elephant Man directed by David Lynch
The Elephant Man, whose real name is Joseph Carey Merrick, was born in 1862 and is British. His body was severely deformed, and there was no accurate conclusion about his illness. Exhibited mainly in the Uk, toured Europe, and has not been to the Us. The planner of "Elephant Man" is Tom Norman, the famous British deformity show manager. His exhibitions rely mainly on his appalling appearance and the incidental sale of pamphlets about his life to make money.
The Elephant Man died at the age of 27, and after his death, a doctor with whom he had many interactions published a book about him. Since then, books, plays and films about the "Elephant Man" have been published, the most famous of which is the 1980 film of the same name directed by David Lynch, and the "Elephant Man" has become one of the most famous deformed people.
"Thumb General Tom" and Lavinia
"Thumb General Tom" wedding
The most famous deformity show actor of the mid-19th century, "General Thumb Tom", mentioned earlier, married another deformity show actress, Lavinia Warren, in 1863. By this time, under the management of manager Barnum, he was already a rich man.
"Lion-Faced Man" Lionel
Lionel the Lion-faced Man, real named Stephan Bibrowski. After "Dogface Jojo", it is another deformed show actor known for his dense hair. He has long, thick hair all over his body, which is even worse than the "dog-faced Jojo", so he takes the name "Lion-Faced Man" and mainly follows the European circus.
"Monkey Girl" and "Crocodile Man"
The elderly "monkey girl" Percilla Lauther
The Monkey Girl was born in Puerto Rico in 1911 and her real name was Percilla Lauther. In 1930, while performing, he met and fell in love with Emmitt Bejano, a "crocodile man" suffering from fish scale disease, and the two married in 1938 and had a daughter, but unfortunately died. After Emmett's death in 1995, Percila shaved off her body hair for the first time in her life, and has since appeared in a number of documentaries and television shows.
Hilton Sisters
After the fame of the famous Siamese Siamese Chang and Eng, the Siamese became an indispensable role in the performance of the deformity show, and the most famous Siamese actors of the 20th century were the Daisy and Violet Hilton. Born in the United Kingdom, the Hilton sisters trained in music and dance from an early age, became famous and began touring throughout Europe, the United States, and even Australia, and finally settled in the United States, where they appeared in several films.
Schlitzie
Microcephaly with Seckel syndrome is also a regular on the show, most notably Schlitzie. Because of his Seckel syndrome, he is short stature, has a deformed skull, and has an intellectual disability. But his enthusiastic personality and outstanding acting ability made him popular, and he has appeared in many films, most notably the 1932 film Freak.
鸟女（Koo-Koo the Bird Girl）
Born in 1880, Birdgirl, whose real name is Minnie Woolsey, is short, mildly intellectually handicapped, bald, and has vision problems. He was bought from a mental hospital by a performance manager and later performed on a deformity show with the famous Circus of The Ringling brothers, also participating in the movie "Freaks".
Chang the Chinese Giant
Extreme tall, short, fat and thin all have their place on the stage of the deformity show, including a giant from China, Chang Woo Gow, who is said to be more than 8 feet (2.44 meters) tall. Born in Fujian in the 1840s, he arrived in England in 1865 and then traveled to Europe, the United States and Australia to perform, and finally settled in Britain.
"The tallest man in the world" Robert Valdro (2.72 m)
It is worth mentioning that Robert Pershing Wadlow, who is recognized as the "tallest man in the world", also toured with the Linlin Brothers Circus in 1936, but he could not accept the eyes of the spectators and soon quit the circus.
The Lobster Boy
Jimmy the "Lobster Man" in the fourth season of American Horror Story is based on "Lobster Boy" Grady Franklin Stiles Jr. Born in 1937, his hands resemble lobster claws due to hereditary deformities. In his childhood, the deformity show performance was almost in decline, and he could only participate in small carnival performances. He became famous because of his extremely violent personality, and he once shot his son-in-law.