Ossified Man
People who developed too much bone throughout their body were
a sought-after attraction. Ossified men had completely rigid bodies and often had to be fed liquids through a tube and carried around.

Performing Fleas
Tiny jumping acrobats made perfect performers, but only a few people in one show could get close enough to see them. Here, 1950s showman Professor Heckler feeds his troupe of insecti-sides a well-earned snack.

The Tallest Man
Towering over the crowd in this 10-in-1 sideshow act, Iceland’s tallest man (7ft7in) Johann Pettersson was billed in the USA as the Viking Giant. Here, he’s at Bobby Hasson’s 1954 Royal American Show.

Conjoined Twins
The Bizek Sisters, who were joined at the hip, died a year after this photograph was taken at Wortham’s World’s Greatest Show in 1922. Siamese twins were so popular, they toured as a lone act.

Monkey Business
This is a 1960s Jerry Lipko show,  advertising the Gorilla Girl. Jerry was known for acts involving real chimps, but ‘Charlotte’ was a guy called Charlie Hunter who had a hairy body, and covered his face in fake fluff.

Armless Glassblower

Joan Beach, who was born without arms, blew glass with her feet in the 1950s, for money-grubbing glass traders Cortez Lorow and his brother Nate. Businessmen like them paid
to flog their goods at sideshows.

Ink on the hoof

This is Mack’s portable tattoo stand  that he folded up and took with him on the road in the 1920s and 30s. When circuses prospered, tattooists did too, and rival circuses competed for the best inked act.