Brittany Nelson - Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit

In his book, Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit,  Robert Bogdan takes an in-depth look at human oddities, their place in the Amusement World, and their place in the human consciousness. In this book report, I want to examine how the exhibitions of individuals with exceptionalities were portrayed during the period of 1840-1940 and how this has impacted modern perceptions of these individuals.

Freak Show examines the role of freak shows in the Amusement World between 1840 and 1940 in the United States. Bogdan discusses the ins-and-outs of the Amusement world from their beginnings in Dime Museums (museums that featured amusement activities such as shows and rides, and later academic lectures.) to their involvement with large traveling circuses and annual World’s Fairs held across the United States and internationally. In his discussion of human oddities, Bogdan highlights the fraudulent, empowering and sometimes cruel aspects of life as a freak.

In his preface, the author noted his inspiration for delving into this topic. His son had told him that to identify villains in film and TV, the viewer only has to look at their appearance. Bogdan’s son noted that the good characters looked nice, while the villains were disfigured in some way. Many of the freaks presented at freak shows had some sort of physical deformity (such as The Bearded Lady, The Wold Man and The Man with Three Legs, as examples.) Freaks that were presented often had intellectual challenges, as well. These individuals were different from the general population in some way, and this difference was exploited for profit and fame by the circus industry. The book utilizes many case studies to make its case, one such reoccurring disability is microcephaly, which is a cognitive disability that reduces cognitive functionality. These people were portrayed as savages or people of different races. They were characterized by heads that narrowed at the top and their heads were often shaved, only leaving a small tuff of hair at the top. Upon reading this description, the image seemed all too familiar. Watching cartoons growing up, there was always a character that fits this description, they were used as comedic relief and that character often died or was severely injured in typical cartoon fashion. As in the cartoons, these people were called Pinheads in the entertainment industry. I believe that this portrayal of individuals with microcephaly influences how we perceive people with other cognitive challenges as they exhibit similar cognitive impairment. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to dispel these stereotypes that are still pervasive in modern cartoons and other areas of popular culture.

Human oddities were presented in two ways, or “modes”, the “exotic” mode and the “aggrandized” mode. Within the exotic mode, human oddities were portrayed as savages from distant lands or even creatures of another species. An example of this was “The Wild Men from Borneo,” or Hiram and Barney Davis. The Davis siblings were “Dwarfs” (or Little People, as they would now be referred to as) and had cognitive challenges. Showmen purported these siblings to be savages from Borneo. The siblings were portrayed as subhuman due to their short stature and cognitive impairments. This portrayal was later proven false when it was revealed that these children were in fact from the United States and had cognitive challenges. The Davis siblings exemplify the ethnocentrism present in the United States during this time period, as well as their supremacist attitudes towards those of other cultures and abilities. In the aggrandized mode, individuals were presented as royalty from other lands, or as world-renowned poets, musicians, or members of high-class society. An example of an individual being exhibited in this mode was Charles Sherwood Stratton, also known as General Tom Thumb. Giving individuals prefixes that indicated social status was a common feature of the aggrandized mode. Those featured in this mode were also given talents such as singing, dancing, writing poetry and miming. In the case of Stratton, he was taught how to sing, dance and mime, among others. Stratton was an anomaly, though. While some individuals had some talent, or were taught talents, others had no talent and any talent attributed to them was pure fabrication. Stratton was one of the few who achieved international fame and lived a comfortable life as a human curiosity. Most, however, did not achieve this level of fame and could barely make a living for themselves, with average wages being around $1.00 USD per day.

After reading this book, I have become more aware of the perception of individuals with exceptionalities in popular culture. As a teacher I want to make an effort to dispel these stereotypes and myths, as they were based upon speculation and racism as evidenced by the presentation of the Davis siblings.