An armless wonder was a person without arms who was exhibited, usually at a
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
sideshow
In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. They historically featured human oddity exhibits (so-called “Freak show, freak shows”), pr ...
. Typically (but not exclusively) a woman, she would perform various tricks using her feet and toes, such as smoking a cigarette or writing. Frequently, she would have a supply of
visiting card
A visiting card, also called a calling card, was a small, decorative card that was carried by individuals to present themselves to others. It was a common practice in the 18th and 19th century, particularly among the upper classes, to leave a visi ...
s which, for an extra charge, she would sign with her feet and give to onlookers.
Role in sideshow
The armless wonder was often one of the most highly paid people of the sideshow. In times when the exposure of even a female ankle was considered risqué, a pretty young woman who performed feats of dexterity with her bare feet and toes would inevitably attract a great deal of
prurient
Ian Dominick Fernow is an American experimental music, experimental musician, poet and multimedia artist. He is best known for extreme music released under the stage name Prurient, as well as numerous other aliases including Vatican Shadow, Rain ...
interest.
Performers
Examples of armless wonders of the early 20th century are
Frances O'Connor
Frances Ann O'Connor (born 12 June 1967) is a British-Australian actress and director. She appears in roles in the films '' Mansfield Park'', '' Bedazzled'', '' A.I. Artificial Intelligence'', '' The Importance of Being Earnest'', and ''Timelin ...
and
Martha Morris, both of whom also appeared in the 1932 film, ''
Freaks''. Another example from the late 19th century was
Ann E. Leak (pictured) who usually included a few simple lines of verse when she signed her visiting cards, such as the following:
:''So you perceive it's really true,''
:''When hands are lacking, toes will do.''
Examples of male armless wonders are
Carl Unthan and
Charles B. Tripp.
External links
Limbless at ShowHistory.com
Sideshow attractions
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