Comments
this picture is amazing! i lov betsey johnson and the dress is gorgeous. I'm looking for a black betsey johnson dress for a decent price...how much was yours?
several things: a) sweet picture. b) i grew up traveling with a circus, and it's always cool/weird to me to see how fascinated other people are by the whole culture. c) have you read "water for elephants"? it's not exactly focused on the freak aspect of circuses, but it's certainly a fun read.
yes, for realz. i definitely had an interesting childhood - my dad is a clown, and my mother was a showgirl. (the kind of showgirl that dances and rides elephants and horses, of course. not the kind of showgirl that takes her clothes off. heh.)
for real? I'd love to hear all about that. I have not read that book but I will look into it :) thanks
if you're into it you should also check out this book http://www.amazon.com/Mutter-Museum-College-Physicians-Philadelphia/dp/0922233241/ref it's a little creepier but still rad
1. that book is on my list to check out next time i head to borders 2. coolest post i've seen, so fun and full of interesting facts...i have secretly alwayysss been fascinating by such the original "freak shows" as well, as well as the type of music they used to play, and the lives of the people apart of them. It totally tells you something about our society, even today. Oh, yer bf got skillsss
oooh the music is so good too. Have you ever watched Carnivà le? If not, you must..
so intense right? It's a type of parasitic twin, now they can do surgery to remove it usually.. I haven't watched it yet but there was a documentary on tv recently about the Indian baby girl with 8 limbs. I think they filmed the surgery.. intense stuff! I like Arbus' photos in their own respect but I don't think she did as good of a job humanizing them as these do.
It reminds me of a book I've read--about the circus freaks and the woman who wants their pictures. To some extent, anyway. It might be why I'm so drawn to this ;D
oh man, I could have gone on and on.. I was about to quote the book but I stopped myself. I've been collecting photos like those for awhile, you can usually find cabinet cards in antique stores or flea markets but the original Eisenmann photos.. good luck trying ;)
thank you! he is very talented :) you muuuuuuuust get the book, it's amazing. I want to find the original edition of it from the 70s
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I had a good outfit on earlier.. but the prop house I was at this morning for my shoot (which is coming up this weekend, btw) was so hot that I ditched all the layers that were making my outfit sweet. black slip and black boots? not the most interesting on their own.
Anyway.. this photo was taken of me a few months ago by my boyfriend. He wanted to capture something that reflects what inspires me and my company.. I have a complete fascination with the original american traveling circuses and vaudeville. The photo shoot for my new collection is based around that theme, so I’ve kind of been double absorbed in it lately.
A little after we first met, I spent probably an hour one evening telling him about the photography of Charles Eisenmann. I’ll try to spare you the history lesson and sum it up.. He’s famous for photographing just about every famous “freak” of that time period. The best part about his work is that he always photographed them the same way the upscale and wealthy people were photographed: well lit, well dressed, backdrops, fancy victorian furniture. The subjects always looked self aware and confident. He gave these people a sort of power over their disabilities and the way they were viewed. I’m not going to front like our photo has some deep message about feeling good about yourself despite your shortcomings, but it is an interesting thought. I suggest anyone who is curious buys the book Monsters: Human Freaks In America’s Gilded Age which is, I believe… the only complete documentation of his work.
also check out B’s work here since.. you know, he took the photo of me..
And since this is supposed to be about fashion and I swear it is:
Betsey Johnson dress
Pedro GarcÃa shoes
x2
photo 2: same photo of me.. but as a cabinet card. I love those things.
photo 3: Myrtle Corbin aka “The Four-Legged Woman”.. she was a dipygus and had control over all 4 of her legs (but obviously could not walk with the 2 little ones). FYI – she married some “normal” dude and had 5 kids.
photo 4: Charles Tripp aka “The Armless Wonder”.. he was born armless and became an accomplished carpenter – all by using his feet.
photo 5: The original Hilton Sisters. Not taken by Eisenmann, but I think these conjoined ladies must have been the most badass duo to travel the circuit.
Ok, I’m going to stop now.
