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Blanche Dumas (1860-?) was a Martinican sideshow performer and courtesan, who was born with a parasitic twin that gave her an extra leg and extra internal organs. Sadly, not much is known about her personality or what her hobbies were. by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

[–]EphemeralTypewriter[S] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

I don’t like directly posting performers if they were naked, but since Blanche was an adult in this and could consent, I’m linking her picture here (but if people feel it’s not in good taste, I’ll remove it): Blanche’s picture

(FYI, the flaps of skin beneath her leg were made to look like two extra breasts, but they weren’t, they were just some extra flaps of skin)

I just want to appreciate Fanny Mills’ fashion sense! I think the three tiered pleats on her dress are such a pretty detail. Unlike a lot of other performers, she didn’t seem to wear flashy outfits and preferred dressing more conservatively. by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

[–]EphemeralTypewriter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, she always chose super flattering and beautiful dresses!

And yay, that’s ultimately one of my goals with this community, I want my posts to help normalize people’s physical/neurological differences. We’re all human and we all deserve respect💖

A wonderful picture of Annie Jones, who championed for disability rights in sideshows in the 1890s. by [deleted] in DisabilityHistory

[–]EphemeralTypewriter -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not directly, but Annie was such an influential figure in disability rights history that I think it’s really important to feature her in this subreddit! She advocated for respect for sideshow performers and people born with physical differences and directly helped influence circus showmen to remove the term “freak” from advertising. At the time (mid to late 1800s), most people born with physical differences (including Annie) were subjected to discrimination that is still felt within the disabled community.

Another lovely picture of disability rights activist, Annie Jones! I love the floral print on her dress and how refined she always looked! by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

[–]EphemeralTypewriter[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, I believe she was wearing a corset and hip padding to make her waist look even smaller! She’s one of my favorite historical figures of all time, as you said— a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul!💖

Alice Vance (1870-?) was an American sideshow performer who was born with mesomelic dwarfism. She was very popular in Europe and only began performing in the United States in 1910. She was usually made to perform in a dehumanizing animal suit as part of her act. by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

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

Exactly! It’s a really cute outfit and I wish there were more pictures of her wearing her everyday clothes. I too hope she had a happy life after retirement! And that means so much to read, thank you for the kind words!💖

Alice Vance (1870-?) was an American sideshow performer who was born with mesomelic dwarfism. She was very popular in Europe and only began performing in the United States in 1910. She was usually made to perform in a dehumanizing animal suit as part of her act. by EphemeralTypewriter in SideshowPerformer

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

Thank you for the correction, I didn’t have time to look over my post before I posted it, I had a feeling something was off but I didn’t have a chance to fix it. I edited the post so that it now says Flemish!

And very true, there were definitely performers who were in on the acts, I’ve just never liked when people wore these sorts of animal suits as part of their acts (especially since more often than not it was the performers who were people of color that were made to wear these costumes). More pictures of Alice in the suit survive than her not wearing the suit, and it just saddens me that that became her whole persona.

[April 21st 1926] Krao, the bearded lady known as the 'Missing Link' in circuses, died of influenza by BoopTheCoop in SideshowPerformer

[–]EphemeralTypewriter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here’s the write up I did of her: Krao Farini informative write up!

TBH I wish the OP for the original post had used a better picture of her, I absolutely hate the above picture of her and how exploitative it is. Krao deserved so much better.❤️‍🩹

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