The traveling freak-show was an institution that was almost exclusively Victorian. While traveling circuses have existed since Roman times, and possibly before, they never attained the massive fame which exploded in the late 1800's. Before the invention of the television, there were only two ways to find entertainment: You must either go to the show, or the show must come to you. With the massive improvements in communication and transportation, created by the invention of the telegraph and steam engine, news of performances and the performers themselves were able to travel quickly and perform across continents, rather than counties. In my own novel, Grayscale, the Atroce Gré circus is a means for Professor Moreau to get rid of his failed experiments. It is filled with surgically mutilated former-patients and supernatural monsters. The outlandish lies which real traveling shows told to drum up interest in their performers, and the popularity of these freak-shows, would have made a traveling circus the perfect hiding place for fictional creatures like werewolves and other grotesque experiments to hide in plain sight without risk of exposure. While the Atroce Gré is filled with dangerous characters and grotesque abominations who try to appear friendly and charming, the reality of freak-shows was often the reverse: Charming and friendly people who were presented as hideous monsters or grotesque abominations.
The history of the Victorian Freak-show is one of both victory and tragedy. Some, like Tom Thumb, led successful and wealthy lives, while others, like Ota Benga, led miserably tragic lives. Some of the most famous performers were Myrtle Corbin, the 4-legged woman; Robert Huddleston, the 'Pony-Boy', and Ella Harper, the 'Camel-girl', whose knees bent backward; Joseph Merrick, the 'Elephant Man', who suffered from Proteus Syndrome, and the first known conjoined 'Siamese' twins, Chang and Eng bunker, who did acrobatics. The list goes on and on. The Victorian fascination with classification and morphology made freak-shows a place to study the outliers and exceptions. One fictional character from Grayscale, Jack Skellum, appears as a giant, living skeleton, and suffers from a combination of a wasting disease and Marfan Syndrome; a completely possible combination which would have resulted in a startling appearance.
Ideally, the Victorian Freak-show provided an opportunity for misshapen and disabled people to work, find a place where they were accepted and even celebrated, and allowed them a life of relative comfort, compared to a life of begging on the street or trapped within a mental sanitarium. This was, of course, sometimes the case. Other times, the reality was far more cruel. In my last blog, I discussed the often harsh environments of animals placed in zoos during the Victorian era, and those men and women who took steps to improve the living conditions of these animals. Improving the lives of captive animals is, of course, a wonderful goal. But animals were not the only occupants of Victorian Zoos. The popularity of the Freak-show are inextricably linked with the ideas of Charles Darwin, and demonstrate the inhuman cruelty which is the ultimate, inescapable result of Darwinism.
Tom Thumb Casts a Big Shadow
Although traveling acts, including performing animals as well as people, traveled across Europe in the early 1800's and before, they were considered places of depravity and dishonorable exploitation, and as such were avoided by respectable society. That all changed when Charles Sherwood Stratton met the Queen of England. Charles was born a healthy, normal baby, at 9lbs. 8 oz., but his growth suddenly stopped six months later. From six months old until his fifth birthday, he grew only a single inch. As an adult, he finally stopped growing just under three feet. It was P. T. Barnam who hired Charles with the agreement of his parents, and brought him into the spotlight at just five years old. Charles learned quickly, and became a skilled dancer, singer, and impressionist. Barnum dubbed him 'General Tom Thumb' after the well-known fairy-tale character. Stratton had the perfect combination of wit and adorable cuteness that instantly made him a huge success. Three years later, he performed for Queen Victoria. The talented eight year old sang, danced, and 'dueled' the Queen's pet spaniel with a diminutive sword. The Queen was delighted, and the 'Freak-show' suddenly became acceptable for high society. 'Tom Thumb' continued to perform with P. T. Barnum, doing skits and shows, impersonating all types of famous characters from Napoleon Bonaparte to Cupid.
Stratton's story is one of immense success. He was married in 1863 to Lavinia Warren, another little-person who was not even as tall as the three foot Stratton, standing at 30 inches tall. The wedding was front page news, and the newlyweds met over 10,000 guests while standing atop a grand piano.
Stratton became notably wealthy, owning a home specially designed for his height, and a steam yacht. When Barnum found himself in financial straights, he turned to Stratton for help. Stratton continued to perform until he died of a stroke in 1883 at forty-five years old. Tom Thumb was the most popular performer during his lifetime, and was widely loved, but Tom Thumb's appearance was that of a diminutive Victorian Gentleman. He was 'cute'. What of the ones who were not?
Hypertrichosis and missing Missing Links
I briefly discuss hypertrichosis in my blog on Werewolves, Hymns, and My Fair Lady. One of the most common freak-show acts featured those who suffered from hypertrichosis, (extensive hair growth). It is indisputable that hypertrichosis and cases of feral children are responsible in part for the legends of werewolves. Hypertrichosis is often labeled as 'Werewolf Syndrome'. The first documented case of hypertrichosis is that of Petrus Gonsalvus, from the late 1500's, while the most famous case is still that of Stephan Bibrowski, the 'Dog-faced Boy', who was highly-intelligent and well-respected. Abnormal hair-growth was nothing new to Victorians, but the traveling freak-shows and the lies they told about their performers fueled the fires of racism which were started by Charles Darwin.
Darwin's theory of evolution, now believed by many to be indisputable fact (by sheer repetition, rather than anything even slightly resembling conclusive evidence) was at first viewed with skepticism and disbelief. The vast majority of scientists at the time were Christians, and all scientific data up until that time (And in fact, all scientific data to date) confirmed the Biblical account. Without diving too deeply into this vast topic, the basic response to Darwin's theory was a rapid and immediate search for so-called 'Missing Links'. Darwin surmised (correctly) that “If my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, linking most closely all the species of the same group together, must assuredly have existed.” His observations spurred a massive search for these 'numberless intermediate varieties' not only in fossils but in living specimens as well. Many of the less outwardly beautiful people, like those who suffered from hypertrichosis, were labeled as 'Missing-links': crosses between human and animals. These false claims were promoted mostly for their shock value. A shocking and feral “Half-Bear, Half-Man” would draw far more gawking crowds than a “Man with too much hair”, and each new act must be more shocking than the last.
The tragic but obvious reality of Darwin's theory was that if man was the top of a long series of improvements, as Darwin claimed, there must also be a bottom. If all species were related, it raised specific questions: Specifically, who is human? Who decides who is human? Secondly, who is more human, and specifically, who is most human? Darwin made it quite clear in Descent of Man that the African was on the bottom. No longer were 'all men created equal'. No longer was the Biblical view of humanity upheld. As Darwin's theory spread, so too did the idea of inferior races. The Victorian Freak-show loudly proclaimed malformed human beings to be proof of Darwin's claims, and many believed them. Though the humanity of these people was eventually proven, thanks to modern advancements in medicine, the damage was already long done. By the time genetics research proved the total humanity of these people, the theory of evolution was already entrenched as 'proven fact', despite the glaring lack of conclusive evidence that has still never been addressed.
The Baboon Lady
Onesuch example is that of Julia Pastrana. Nothing is known for certain regarding her early life. It is likely that she was born in the Sierra Madre region of Mexico in the 1830's. Julia suffered from extreme hypertrichosis and gingival hyperplasia, which made her gums far larger than ordinary, extending her lips and giving her face a distinctly ape-like appearance. Julia was bright and charming, spoke multiple languages, and had an exceptional singing voice. She performed under various names, including “The Baboon Lady”, “Dog-faced Woman”, “Bear-Woman”, or simply “The Nondescript”. Though she was not as successful as Tom Thumb, it seems that she was treated with respect. She eventually married Theodore Lent, who became her manager, touring across Europe and America. Though it is likely that Lent married her simply to keep her from finding better employment elsewhere, it seems that Julia was happy in the marriage, stating on her deathbed that Lent “loved me for my own sake.” Various claims regarding her birth were told, mostly indicating that she was from some primitive “Root-Digger” tribe of mostly feral ape-like creatures, or that she was the result of a human and animal mating. Lent intentionally kept Julia's past a secret so he could peddle the claim that she was the result of an 'unholy union between man and beast'. Her intelligence was seen as simply proof that the “Spirit of Woman” was superior to the baser instincts of the animal nature she supposedly inherited. As absurd as these claims seem today, they were often believed without much question, and even verified by scientific professionals.
Julia Pastrana underwent several examinations by scientific professionals. Alexander B. Mott, an American surgeon, positively certified that she was the result of the mating of a human and orangutan. Others claimed she was a distinct species – neither ape nor human. Francis Buckland, a zoologist, surgeon, and historian, rightly stated that she was merely a deformed Mexican woman. Darwin himself remarked upon her case, but did not make any claims of his own about her ancestry. It was his theories, however, that caused so many others to view those like Julia Pastrana as sub-human.
The Missing Link
One of the most blatant examples of this unintentional propaganda is Krao Farini. She was likely from Laos, but all accounts of her discovery are grossly inflated, and all include the claim that she came from a tribe of primitive ape-like people. She was adopted by Guillermo Antonio Farini and by the age of seven was being exhibited across Europe as “Living proof of Darwin's theory of the descent of man”, and described as “a perfect specimen of the step between man and monkey”, despite the fact that she was an attractive lady, albeit with a short beard. She continued to perform throughout her life until she retired to Brooklyn, where she died at the age of 50, wearing a veil in public when not performing.
Darwinism gave racism a sheen of scientific respectability. Racism has been a part of human existence for thousands of years – even among Christian circles – but it is impossible to read the New Testament and retain any semblance of racism when Acts 17:26 specifically says that Christ has made of “one blood all peoples of the earth.” Though it is possible to find Christian racists today, as easily as Darwinian racists, the Bible is clear that we are all descendants of the same family. God gives humans innate worth. Their value is not in their beauty or usefulness, but in the fact that they are Children of God. Each should be treated with respect because each has value. Darwin's worldview strips this innate value away, leaving behind a stark method of determining value based exclusively on ability to survive. The weak and vulnerable, rather than being protected and defended, should be purged from society to preserve the genes of the superior individuals. This despicable view led to the imprisonment and slaughter of countless souls in the name of 'science' and 'progress'. Entire tribes of Africans and Australians were slaughtered like animals, because science considered them to be animals: less-evolved, sub-human, without any innate value.
Darwin's views of European superiority were common at the time, and it should be noted that Darwin was opposed to slavery, even after renouncing Christianity, but why? In Darwin's own worldview, 'survival of the fittest' was the highest moral appeal, and to force others to work for you is a sensible (and therefore just) method of survival. While Christian cries against slavery were for the suffering of those in bondage, Darwin saw slavery as an unnatural means of preserving the line of an 'inferior' race. Darwin viewed the ultimate extermination of 'inferior' races as inevitable; he did not desire it, but neither did his theory provide any reason why the mass-murder of 'inferior' peoples was in any way wrong. Killing an aborigine was no worse than killing any other type of animal, so long as their death ensures the survival of the fittest. Congenital defects are not proof of evolution, but Victorian Freak-shows convinced many that fully human people were part ape, solely based on appearance. Once it has been agreed that man has descended from apes, the next logical step is to determine who had descended the furthest. Since apes are dark-skinned and short, it was logical to assume that pale features and height were the marks of the most-evolved. Those with dark skin and short stature, well...
The Man in the Zoo
The tragic story of Ota Benga is perhaps the most famous case of the inhumane treatment of supposedly 'inferior' humans, made acceptable and even admirable by Darwin's theories. By the early 1900's, evolution was practically a decided fact – 'decided', because there was still no conclusive evidence for it, nor is there today – and America, as well as Europe, was beginning to divide into the two vastly different religions, often labeled as the 'religious' and the 'scientific'. While science before was based on fact, regardless of religious belief, modern science must be exclusively Darwinian. There was no room for any other religion in 'science'. Over the next few decades, the Tasmanian tribes were completely wiped out in the name of 'science', and the Australian natives were nearly wiped out. Thousands were killed to acquire 'fresh specimens' for museums of 'primitive man', including skulls, which were boiled down, and skins, which were preserved for taxidermy displays, in the same manner that any other animal would be killed for display. The barbarity was staggering, but is now largely forgotten or hushed up, as Christianity is rapidly becoming labeled as the sole source of racism within the mainstream narrative. Indeed, a Scientific American article from June 1, 2020 was titled "Denial of Evolution is a Form of White Supremacy". Allison Hopper conveniently neglected to mention the genocide of entire black cultures or the fact that it is Darwin's theory of Evolution that legitimizes White Supremacy in the first place.
Which brings us back to Ota Benga. Ota Benga was brought from Africa by Samuel Verner and eventually left at the Bronx Zoo when Verner found himself without enough money to take Ota back to Africa. At first, Ota had free run of the zoo, but from the beginning, the intention was to 'display' an African pygmy, as the step between apes and 'humans' (pygmies not quite qualifying as 'human'). Eventually, Ota was placed in a display with an orangutan for company, and to allow guests to compare their similarities and differences. The Bronx Zoo officially claimed that Ota was placed on display for his own protection, and it is true that he was nearly torn in pieces on several occasions, and was constantly harassed by curious visitors, but this is no excuse. While the scientific world saw nothing wrong with displaying these two 'primitive men', it was the 'uneducated' clergy that found it reprehensible, especially African-American clergymen, who understandably realized the horror in viewing men like themselves as 'sub-human', simply because they were short in stature and excelled in bush-craft.
Finally, after sufficient backlash, the Bronx Zoo finally allowed Ota Benga out again, and allowed him to dress in a suit. He returned to the monkey exhibit to sleep, however, and eventually fashioned a short bow and arrows, which he would fire at guests who harassed him – not that I blame him. Eventually, the trouble of keeping Ota Benga overshadowed the revenue he brought in, and he was released, eventually finding his way to an African-American community in Lynchburg, Virginia. For a while, Ota excelled there. While in the zoo, Darwinists had argued that Ota was as happy there as he could be anywhere. A New York Times Article stated:
“Ota Benga … is a normal specimen of his race or tribe, with a brain as much developed as are those of its other members. Whether they are held to be illustrations of arrested development, and really closer to the anthropoid apes than the other African savages … As for Benga himself, he is probably enjoying himself as well as he could anywhere in this country, and it is absurd to make moan over the imagined humiliation and degradation he is suffering. The pygmies … are very low in the human scale, and the suggestion that Benga should be in a school instead of a cage ignores the high probability that school would be a place of torture to him and one from which he could draw no advantage whatever. The idea that men are all much alike except as they have had or lacked opportunities for getting an education out of books is now far out of date.”
Ota proved them wrong by learning to read and write shortly after his release. He taught the children of his community how to hunt, fish, and gather wild honey. However, he continually longed to return to Africa, and often spoke of it with tears in his eyes. After working some time in a factory, and realizing the total impossibility of ever earning enough to purchase a steamship ticket back home, he eventually committed suicide.
Science finally starts catching up to Reality
As communication spread, the shock of medical abnormalities began to wain, and as medical science progressed, people began to realize the humanity of freak-show performers and natives like Ota Benga. The invention of radio and television also played a large part in changing the direction of entertainment away from traveling shows, and the Victorian Freak-show quickly dropped out of fashion. The complex history of freak-shows and social Darwinism is complex, and filled with successes and horrible tragedies, with brave heroes as well as cruel monsters. Our worldview shapes how we view our fellow man, and the wrong worldview will inevitably lead to cruelty. It took the Bronx Zoo 114 years to apologize for putting a man on display, but it still teaches as fact the Darwinian worldview which put him there in the first place. If we forget the history of Ota Benga and the genocides made in the name of 'Science', we will be doomed to repeat them.
For more information on these people or my novel, Grayscale, check out these links:
Grayscale - by Paul Campbell
Ota Benga: the pygmy put on display - by Jerry Bergman
Darwin's Bodysnatchers - an article on the Australian genocides, by Carl Wieland
The Sad, Grotesque Life of "Baboon-Lady" Julia Pastrana - by John Woolf, a BBC historian and expert in freakshow history
Charles Stratton, Tom Thumb - by Eric Lehman
Myths of the Victorian Freakshow - by John Woolf, a BBC historian and expert in freakshow history
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