Alice Elizabeth Doherty (March 14, 1887 – June 13, 1933) was an American woman born with the condition

hypertrichosis lanuginosa Hypertrichosis is an abnormal amount of hair growth over the body. The two distinct types of hypertrichosis are generalized hypertrichosis, which occurs over the entire body, and localized hypertrichosis, which is restricted to a certain area. H ...

Biography

Doherty was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with approximately two-inch long blonde hair all over her body. None of her relatives are known to have had a similar condition. She had blue eyes. Doherty suffered from hypertrichosis lanuginosa. Although this is very rare, other individuals were known for their similar appearances:

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("Jo-Jo the Dog-faced Man"),

Stephan Bibrowski Stephan Bibrowski (1890–1932), better known as Lionel the Lion-faced Man, was a famous sideshow performer. His whole body was covered with long hair that gave him the appearance of a lion; this was likely due to a rare condition called hypert ...

("Lionel the Lion-faced Man"), Jesús "Chuy" Aceves ("Wolfman"), and

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("the bearded woman"). Hypertrichosis has many different variations, including differences in causation. She was exhibited by her parents as a sideshow attraction from as early as the age of two. Later she was presented commercially by her mother and ''Professor Weller’s One-Man Band'' throughout the

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. She was consistently shown as a standalone exhibit in store front exhibitions. By the time she was five years old, her hair grew to about , eventually increasing to about by the time she was a teenager. Doherty was never interested in entertainment, but continued to perform to support her family, anxiously awaiting retirement. She retired from the entertainment business in 1915 and died of bronchial pneumonia in

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on June 13, 1933, aged 46.Death certificate, Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. ''Elizabeth Alice Doherty'', ''26960.'' June 13, 1933. Rec'd June 17, 1933.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Alice Elizabeth 1887 births 1933 deaths People from Minneapolis People with hypertrichosis Sideshow attractions Women in Minnesota