“Showcasing hoards of deformed and mutant varieties of humans – that freak-collectors like P.T. Barnum rounded up and whipped into shape – the world marveled at what it so often sought to sweep under its own carpet. Circus sideshows might have been a cruel form of psychological abuse for any of the so-called ‘freaks’ placed under contract (or a kind of indentured slavery), but some of these individuals also went on to profit greatly off what no one else would hire. So as you ask yourself, ‘Was being a circus freak actually a bad thing?’ – given the duality of the situation – step right up and ogle at these 10 freaks of nature.” w/ photos
