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Includes posters, handbills and newspaper cuttings mostly about Victorian / Edwardian freak shows. People featured had extremes of obesity (the Mammoth Lady, Elizabeth Armitage, Miss Lucie the Russian Fat Girl), skin diseases (young man "covered with scales"), were siamese twins (the Two-Headed Nightingale, Millie and Christine, the African Twins), dwarves (Harvey's Midges, Admiral Tom Trump, Colonel Dietrich Ulpts, Mr. Uffner's Royal American Midgets, Minnie Warren, General Tom Thumb (watched by Queen Victoria in 1857), Japanese Tommy (a black dwarf), General Mite, Millie Edwards, Edward Nino Hernandez - Metro, September 2010), giants (Pat O'Brien the Irish Giant, German Giantess, Joseph the German Giant, Albert Brough the English Giant, Captain Ureck the Hungarian Giant, Chang the Fychow Giant, Herr Winkelmeier), phenomally strong (American Samson), had hand and foot deformities (Lobster Claw Lady, 1896), tattoos (Flo Riley), hypertrichosis (Mexican Julia Pastrana, 1862, the Russian hirsute Kostroma People, 1874).

General Collections Ephemera Collection

Oversize ephemera. EPH+33.

Freak shows ephemera. Box 2.

[Undated handbill (1848?) noting the exhibition of Joachim Eleizegui, The Spanish Giant, at the Cosmorama Rooms, Regent Street, London].

Freak shows ephemera. Box 4.

[Leaflet advertising appearances by the 6 month old John Baptist Dos Santos, born with 3 legs, 2 penises and 4 testicles in Portugal 1843 on display at no.56, Quadrant, Regent Street, London].

Freak shows ephemera. Box 3.

[Leaflet advertising an exhibition of the mummified corpse of Julia Pastrana at the Burlington Gallery, 191 Piccadilly, London (1862?)].

Handbill (Sept. 1856) advertising the exhibition of an Algerian youth (13 years old) with 2 faces at the Prince of Wales Bazaar, Regent Street, London.

Leaflet advertising appearances by an limbless woman, giving demonstrations of mouth painting.

Freak shows ephemera. Box 5

The eighth wonder!! : the celebrated Miss Beffin, miniature painter, will exhibit her wondrous powers, in a commodious booth, during this present fair : a young lady who was born deficient of arms, hands and legs ...

[Undated handbill advertising "the Aïssaouas' snake and scorpion eaters" ].

[Handbill advertising appearances from Chang, the great Chinese Giant, and chung Mow, the tartar rebel dwarf, at the Egyptian Hall (Piccadilly, London)].

Leaflet (July 1841) advertising appearances by the Porcupine Youth "whose body, with the exception of his interesting face and the palms of his hands, is entirely covered with dark, horny thorns, resembling the coat of a hedgehog or porcupine" from Kilrhedrin, Pembrokeshire.

Wonderful production of nature : the greatest human curiosity! Now in existence, Master Thomas Jones, the Cambrian Porcupine Youth!! ... is now exhibiting, for a short time, at the Cosmorama Rooms, 209 Regent Street.

[Undated handbill (October 1898) advertising an exhibition of The Australian Juvenile Giant Family, Clara, Hercules Tom and Anna Snell].

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Oversize ephemera. EPH+33.

[Undated handbill (1848?) noting the exhibition of Joachim Eleizegui, The Spanish Giant, at the Cosmorama Rooms, Regent Street, London].

[Leaflet advertising appearances by the 6 month old John Baptist Dos Santos, born with 3 legs, 2 penises and 4 testicles in Portugal 1843 on display at no.56, Quadrant, Regent Street, London].

[Leaflet advertising an exhibition of the mummified corpse of Julia Pastrana at the Burlington Gallery, 191 Piccadilly, London (1862?)].

Handbill (Sept. 1856) advertising the exhibition of an Algerian youth (13 years old) with 2 faces at the Prince of Wales Bazaar, Regent Street, London.

The eighth wonder!! : the celebrated Miss Beffin, miniature painter, will exhibit her wondrous powers, in a commodious booth, during this present fair : a young lady who was born deficient of arms, hands and legs ...

[Undated handbill advertising "the Aïssaouas' snake and scorpion eaters" ].

[Handbill advertising appearances from Chang, the great Chinese Giant, and chung Mow, the tartar rebel dwarf, at the Egyptian Hall (Piccadilly, London)].

Wonderful production of nature : the greatest human curiosity! Now in existence, Master Thomas Jones, the Cambrian Porcupine Youth!! ... is now exhibiting, for a short time, at the Cosmorama Rooms, 209 Regent Street.

[Undated handbill (October 1898) advertising an exhibition of The Australian Juvenile Giant Family, Clara, Hercules Tom and Anna Snell].

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Oversize ephemera. EPH+33.

[Undated handbill (1848?) noting the exhibition of Joachim Eleizegui, The Spanish Giant, at the Cosmorama Rooms, Regent Street, London].

[Leaflet advertising appearances by the 6 month old John Baptist Dos Santos, born with 3 legs, 2 penises and 4 testicles in Portugal 1843 on display at no.56, Quadrant, Regent Street, London].

[Leaflet advertising an exhibition of the mummified corpse of Julia Pastrana at the Burlington Gallery, 191 Piccadilly, London (1862?)].

Handbill (Sept. 1856) advertising the exhibition of an Algerian youth (13 years old) with 2 faces at the Prince of Wales Bazaar, Regent Street, London.

The eighth wonder!! : the celebrated Miss Beffin, miniature painter, will exhibit her wondrous powers, in a commodious booth, during this present fair : a young lady who was born deficient of arms, hands and legs ...

[Undated handbill advertising "the Aïssaouas' snake and scorpion eaters" ].

[Handbill advertising appearances from Chang, the great Chinese Giant, and chung Mow, the tartar rebel dwarf, at the Egyptian Hall (Piccadilly, London)].

Wonderful production of nature : the greatest human curiosity! Now in existence, Master Thomas Jones, the Cambrian Porcupine Youth!! ... is now exhibiting, for a short time, at the Cosmorama Rooms, 209 Regent Street.

[Undated handbill (October 1898) advertising an exhibition of The Australian Juvenile Giant Family, Clara, Hercules Tom and Anna Snell].

Stay in the know

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