Historical Photos To Blow Your Mind: New Release!

Historical Photo of the Circus

This is The Congress of Freaks, from Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey’s Circus in 1922. All of the Ringling Brothers elephants have now been officially retired from show business after outcry from animal rights activists about their horrific treatment.

Freak shows were popular in the early 1900s and often featured outright shams or people who simply had medical conditions. Sometimes people with physical deformities or who were considered “exotic” in some way were kidnapped to perform. Some performers, like Schlitzie and Koo-Koo the Bird Girl, performed not only for Barnum & Bailey but in major motion pictures like Freaks.