The "Sideshow World" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking to a friend about matting and framing a poster for him that dates back to the early 1930s.   The poster in question was from the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey combined Circus known as "The Greatest Show On Earth."  

Poster features a drawing, in black and white, of a tribe of genuine Ubangi Savages with mouths and lips as large as those of full-grown crocodiles.  These savages are new to civilization having come from Africa's darkest depths.  Show was to take place on Monday, June 23, 1930.  My guess is that the majority of those reading this story weren't alive when these savages traveled with the circus in 1930.  The savages were part of what at the time was known as the sideshow at the circus.  

Poster advertising the "Headless Girl"

People who came to see the circus acts also had a chance to walk around the circus grounds and visit various "side shows" that were advertised by a barker who would yell to the crowd not to miss seeing the "Headless Woman" or "Headless Girl" as well as "Spidora" the woman with the body of a spider.  Most all sideshows were realistic looking illusions that perhaps scared the crap out of those who witnessed them.  

The "Headless Woman" looks surprisingly real.

I'm sure children viewing a woman without a head or a man with a lip the size of a dinner plate couldn't sleep for quite a few nights after visiting the circus.  "Spidora" was one of the most popular sideshows.  She allegedly was born with the head and face of a beautiful girl and the body of an ugly spider who survives in total misery.  

One of the "Spidora" sideshow acts.

Most traveling circuses would feature their version of "Spidora" with some more believable that others.  At worst you saw a woman with her head protruding out of a box with a spider body crudely attached to her while the better shows offered an expertly crafted spider body web made of white twine and spider body and legs made of fake fur.  The legs would include tubing so the girl playing the role of "Spidora" could make the legs appear to move on their own.  "Spidora's" body would be concealed behind a wall in a box in which her spider web, spider body and head were macabrely displayed for curious onlookers to ponder before moving on to the next act in the sideshow.  

This one looks a bit more realistic!

As for the headless woman illusion, it was said to be terrifyingly realistic.  "Olga", as she was called at first, was a headless torso that appeared to be a torso with tubes running from her throat to a contraption that supposedly controlled her food intake.  The headless woman was optically baffling.  This sideshow act actually continued to appear around the world through the 1980's so some of you might have seen this particular act.  There were many other acts throughout history such as "General Tom Thumb" who was a dwarf, "Arachnida" the human spider and the guys with the hugh lips, but they weren't quite as famous as "Spidora" and the Headless Woman.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.