Freak show
Exhibition of biological rarities for public entertainment.
A freak show is a display of biological oddities, often called “freaks of nature.” These exhibits typically feature humans who are unusually large or small, have rare diseases or conditions, or perform shocking acts. In more recent times, heavily tattooed or pierced individuals have appeared as sideshow acts, alongside performers who eat fire or swallow swords.
People with physical differences have been treated as curiosities and sources of entertainment since at least the medieval period, drawing crowds to see them. A notable early example involved conjoined brothers from Genoa, Lazarus and Joannes Baptista Colloredo, exhibited at the court of King Charles I; while Lazarus appeared ordinary, his brother’s undeveloped body hung from his chest, and Lazarus covered it with his cloak when not performing. Freak shows also thrived in taverns and fairgrounds, often combining unusual bodies with talent displays. In the 18th century, Matthias Buchinger, born without arms or lower legs, amazed audiences in England and Ireland with magic and music.
Freak shows became commercially successful, large-scale enterprises in the 19th century, both in the United States and Europe. Their peak popularity spanned from the 1840s to the 1940s, when people with physical, mental, or behavioral rarities were exhibited for profit. Not all abnormalities were genuine; some were fabricated or exaggerated. The shows spread to amusement parks, circuses, dime museums, and vaudeville, fueled by a growing middle class with more leisure time. Showmen marketed exhibits through oral lectures, printed advertisements, costumed performances, and collectible photographs. People who were non-white or had disabilities were often presented as unknown races or “missing links.” For instance, those with microcephaly were characterized as extinct races, while achondroplastic dwarfs were portrayed as exotic. The shows normalized specific ways of thinking about gender, race, and disability. By the 1940s, popularity declined as public attitudes shifted from acceptance of exploitation to concern for performers, and medicalization reduced the mystery of the exhibits.
- field
- Entertainment, Sideshow
- known_for
- Exhibition of biological rarities and human curiosities for profit
- peak_period
- 1840s–1940s
- notable_promoter
- P. T. Barnum
Lore & Background
A famous early modern example was the exhibition at the court of King Charles I of Lazarus and Joannes Baptista Colloredo, two conjoined brothers born in Genoa, Italy. While Lazarus appeared to be otherwise ordinary, the underdeveloped body of his brother dangled from his chest. When Lazarus was not exhibiting himself, he covered his brother with his cloak to avoid unnecessary attention. As well as exhibitions, freak shows were popular in the taverns and fairgrounds, where the freaks were often combined with talent displays. For example, in the 18th century, Matthias Buchinger, born without arms or lower legs, entertained crowds with astonishing displays of magic and musical ability, both in England and later, Ireland.
Reader's Guide
Freak shows were at their height of popularity from the 1840s through the 1940s, commonly seen at amusement parks, circuses, dime museums and vaudeville. The showmen and promoters exhibited all types of freaks, including people who appeared or were non-white or who had a disability, often exhibited as unknown races and cultures. There were four ways freak shows were produced and marketed: the oral spiel or lecture, printed advertisement, costuming and performance, and collectable drawings or photographs. Exhibits were authenticated by doctors who used medical terms that many could not comprehend. Freak show culture normalized a specific way of thinking about gender, race, sexual aberrance, ethnicity, and disability. During the first decade of the 20th century, the popularity of the freak show was starting to dwindle, and by 1940 they were starting to lose their audience. The term 'freak show' has changed in connotation along with the change in attitudes as the public shifted from acceptance of performer exploitation to more concern and desire to understand them. In the 19th century, science supported and legitimized the growth of freak shows, but by the 20th century, the medicalization of human abnormalities contributed to the end of the exhibits' mystery and appeal.
Did You Know?
- Charles Sherwood Stratton, billed as 'General Tom Thumb', was taught to imitate people from Hercules to Napoleon and by age 7 was smoking cigars for the public's amusement.
- Barnum introduced William Henry Johnson, a microcephalic Black dwarf who spoke a mysterious language created by Barnum and was known as Zip the Pinhead.
- In the 18th century, Matthias Buchinger, born without arms or lower legs, entertained crowds with magic and musical ability.
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