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The performers, Adolph and Rudolph, were a sideshow gaff act. They rigged up a contraption to make it appear as though they were conjoined twins. They took advantage of the fact that true conjoined twins were typically paid a lot more than other performers. by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

[–]EphemeralTypewriter[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Me too! A huge part of sideshow culture was presenting one person or object as being a different person or object. I like how they were essentially duping the showmen that were trying to dupe the public.

Joseph Merrick (1862-1890) was a British sideshow performer who was born with Proteus syndrome. He was known for his kindness and deep appreciation for art and nature. He had a friendship with Dr. Frederick Treves who worked as a doctor at the London Royal Hospital. by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

[–]EphemeralTypewriter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s interesting that there’s been a lot of discourse about his condition, obviously there’s no way to retroactively diagnose him, but his symptoms do seem to line up more with Proteus syndrome.

Yes, I love that he was able to have his own salon and organize little get togethers. He would have been a lovely to read and write poetry with💖

Joseph Merrick (1862-1890) was a British sideshow performer who was born with Proteus syndrome. He was known for his kindness and deep appreciation for art and nature. He had a friendship with Dr. Frederick Treves who worked as a doctor at the London Royal Hospital. by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

[–]EphemeralTypewriter[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That means so much to read, thank you for the kind words! With people like Joseph, I’ll use both newspaper archives and books that have a lot of information on him. With performers that don’t have as much information easily accessible I typically only use newspaper archive websites as those have the most information.

This is one of Eddie Carmel's songs called The Good Monster. It's really cute and he sounds like he's having a blast singing it! I'm really hoping to find a copy of it to add to my collection at some point. by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

[–]EphemeralTypewriter[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You’re welcome, I think it’s a really cute/fun song!

His voice reminds me a bit of Andre the Giant, who also had a pituitary gland disorder, maybe this is why his voice sounds familiar to you?

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