Introduction to History 246 Circus Project

A House Of Mirrors: Dwarfism in the Circus and Reflection on American Culture

By Alex Reynolds

The American Circus, During its Golden Age i.e. in the late 19th early 20th centuries, hired people with disabilities as a linchpin of their entertainment. These folks were primarily featured in the “freak” show where they would be put on display for large crowds of viewers.^[1] This show incorporated many people with special talents and abnormalities, and dwarfism was a large part of it. Crowds would be enamored with little people’s size or abilities because they believed their limitations should make it impossible.^[2] Fed by rampant publicity, exaggerated portrayals, and use in the sideshow, depictions of dwarfism in the circus fueled dehumanization of little people. This reflects an American culture that skews perspectives of people with disabilities and fails to accommodate them. This shows a clear cultural othering extending from the 19th century into the 20th century.

     People with dwarfism were depicted poorly within the sideshow, specifically, they were often dressed up in comical attire or used in grand publicity stunts. Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren, two prominent little people in the American circus during the 19th century were examples of this. Their marriage, although both affectionate and long lasting, was utilized by PT Barnum, an impresario whom Thumb and Warren worked under, as a massive publicity that generated business for his circus. Barnum specifically went out of his way to promote and publicize this marriage in relation to the circus, so much so it took up headlines during the civil war. They were even pictured with a child (Lavinia Warren was unable to have children) to further stir up curiosity about the couple.^[3] By promoting this wedding so much, Barnum put the primary focus on the stature of little people, suggesting that people of short stature were meant to marry one another. Putting so much focus on height and publicizing the wedding and their personal lives served to dehumanize little people, as it showed them more for the entertainment of the public rather than it just being a marriage. The child specifically was meant to cause wonder about how they would have children, only further putting focus on their size in relation to childbearing. As well as this, with Thumb specifically, images would understate his size, showing him compared to small objects, such as books or inkwells (Figure 1).

Understating his size only further put the focus on his size, as it made it seem unreal. This further took humanity away from the performers, and showed little people as objects only notable for their size. By largely publicizing the marriage of Thumb and Warren and exaggerating the size of Thumb, the circus put the focus exclusively on the size of the performers. And in doing this, the circus took humanity away from people with disabilities, and utilized them to be looked at for their body as entertainment. 

   In addition, little people were portrayed as or alongside clowns(Figure 2). In other words, their size was portrayed as comical.^[4] Although this practice began in the 19th century, the use of people with dwarfism alongside clowns continued into the 20th. A specific example is Wee Pea, a performer in the circus who lived during this period and worked in the sideshow. He worked alongside clowns, and was meant to be a shock to the audience due to his size.^[5] This indicates that people with dwarfism were not being detailed for any of their skills or personality, but were being used for their dwarfism. These depictions further dehumanized little people, as using their bodies for shock value took any personal ability away from the performance.  

      All of this is reflective of a society whose perspective on little people is skewed, as it often views people of short stature as entertainment rather than human beings. This perspective results often in few accommodations throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries, as buildings and public staircases posed challenges for people of short stature.^[6]  A lack of progress is evident also, as the continuity of these representations from Tom Thumb to Wee Pea highlights a culture that failed to make significant progress in the rights of people with disabilities. Finally, these views of people of short stature caused a cultural othering of little people, as the dehumanization often meant they could not fully participate in society or struggled with interpersonal relationships.^[7]

     The circus during the 19th and 20th centuries depicted people with disabilities as meant to function as pieces of entertainment. This is shown through the use of people with dwarfism in publicity marriages, exaggerated portrayals, and use in the sideshow. This reflects an American society of no visibility for people with short stature, poor accommodation for people with these disabilities, and the cultural othering from the rest of American society, and progress in these issues was lacking from the 19th to the 20th century.

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^[1] Language Note: This essay utilizes people first language. As such, throughout the essay I interchangeably refer to little people, people with dwarfism, and people of short stature. For more resources on respectful language, look here: https://odr.dc.gov/page/people-first-language

^[2] Janet Davis,The Circus Age: Culture and Society Under the American Big Top (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002) pg. 118

^[3] Laura Backstrom.“From the Freak Show to the Living Room: Cultural Representations of Dwarfism and Obesity,” Sociological Forum 27, no. 3 (December 2012): 687. Wiley Online.

^[4] Janet Davis. The Circus Age pg. 177

^[5] Yoram Carmeli. “Wee Pea: The Total Play of the Dwarf in the Circus” . 33 no. 4 (Winter 1989): 131. MIT Press

^[6]Martin Wienberg.”The Problems of Midgets and Dwarfs and Organizational Remedies: A Study of the Little People of America” Journal of Health and Social Behavior (Mar. 1968): pg. 66, American Sociological Association

^[7] Martin Wienberg “The Problems of Midgets and Dwarfs and Organizational Remedies: A Study of the Little People of America” 65

Bibliography

1.  Janet Davis,The Circus Age: Culture and Society Under the American Big Top. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002
2. Weinberg, Martin S. “The Problems of Midgets and Dwarfs and Organizational Remedies: A Study of the Little People of America.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 9, no. 1 (1968): 65–71. https://doi.org/10.2307/2948318.
3. Carmeli, Yoram S. “Wee Pea: The Total Play of the Dwarf in the Circus.” TDR (1988-) 33, no. 4 (1989): 128–45. https://doi.org/10.2307/1145971.
4. Backstrom, Laura. “From the Freak Show to the Living Room: Cultural Representations of dwarfism and Obesity.” Sociological Forum 27, no. 3 (2012): 682–707. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23262184.
5. Baugniet, Charles. Charles S. Stratton, a Dwarf Known as General Tom Thumb, Aged Twelve. Lithograph by C. Baugniet, 1844. n.d. Lithograph ;, image 30.7 x 23.9 cm. Wellcome Collection. https://jstor.org/stable/community.24830895.
6. MSS 326-19-18-24, Man with dwarfism pictured next to clown. Thomas J. Dunwoody Circus Collection. University Archives and Special Collections. University of Southern Indiana.