21st century entertainment all revolves around experiencing a spectacle. Whether this be watching a TV drama, attending concerts, plays and shows, or simply visiting an attraction, we all look towards entertainment to experience something out of the ordinary. The people of Georgian and Victorian societies were no different, as they turned to the freak show instead for entertainment.

The eighteenth and nineteenth century freak show was a major form of entertainment for all walks of life. People who branded themselves as 'giants', 'midgets', 'monsters', 'animal lookalikes', (to name but a few) all marketed and exhibited themselves for money on the European freak show circuit. Whilst we would acknowledge most of the 'freaks' today as simply people with medical conditions, previously 'freaks' were something to be viewed, enjoyed and debated about.

Much like we buy souvenirs in order to preserve the memories of events and experiences we have lived through, visitors to freak shows would also want a reminder to take home with them at the end of the performance. This is where the carte de visites come in. Much like our modern day postcards, carte de visites were professional photographs taken of the performer in question. They usually had a description of the 'freak' somewhere on the card.

Whilst studying the Victorian 'freak show' in depth as part of my second year studies, I came across a couple of carte de visites that really caught my eye:

Julia Pastrana

Julia Pastrana was exhibited by her manager Theodore Lent in the mid nineteenth century. This carte de visite clearly illustrates her 'freakishness'; she gained popularity as she was overly hairy and ape like in appearance. I particularly love that she was dressed in a feminine fashion, as if to emphasize her 'freakishness.' The historian Nadia Durbach even goes as far as to link her womanly clothing and hairy exterior as a deterrent to nineteenth century women; this is what would happen if you didn't conform to the perceived role of women in society.

Incidentally, women with unusual bodies were big business in the 'freak show' circuit. Sara Baartmann, otherwise known as the Hottentot Venus, was widely admired and exhibited due to her large breasts, buttocks and genitalia.

The 1920's 'freak show' performer Artoria Gibbons was renowned for her tattooed body. Tattooed from head to toe, she drew large crowds who were astonished by the art on her body. Women were not expected to have any sort of body ink, so to be covered head to toe was quite something! It's hard to imagine that something we in the 21st century accept and encourage, was so taboo less than 100 years ago!

Artoria Gibbons

Whilst I have focused on the carte de visites of 'female freaks' (women's history seems to be a large area of interest for me), there are plenty of other images of male 'freaks' that are just as interesting and revealing. Just from looking at a couple of carte du visites it seems that we can glean a lot about the nineteenth century 'freak show' circuit. It is clear that attitudes towards women were vastly different to how they are today, and the fact that i am using quotation marks whenever I mention the work 'freak' suggests that as a society we nowadays condone such labeling of people. But one thing does remain today; we all love to witness a spectacle in our down time, and we all love to take home a piece of the action to show others. Perhaps before we condone the immorality of the 'freak show' we should all acknowledge that  the type of entertainment on offer changes with time, but our need to consume and hold onto it stays the same.