Mary Ann Bevan ( Webster; 20 December 187426 December 1933) was an English nurse, who, after developing
acromegaly
Acromegaly is a disorder that results in excess growth of certain parts of the human body. It is caused by excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There ...
, toured the circus
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 ...
circuit as "the ugliest woman in the world".
Early years
Mary Ann Webster was one of 8 children born into a working-class family in Plaistow, East London. She later became a nurse. In 1902, she married Thomas Bevan
["England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:263B-WFY : 13 December 2014), Mary Ann Webster, 1902; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1902, quarter 2, vol. 2A, p. 839, Bromley, Kent, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
] with whom she had four children. Thomas Bevan died suddenly in 1914.
Sideshow career
Bevan started exhibiting the symptoms of
acromegaly
Acromegaly is a disorder that results in excess growth of certain parts of the human body. It is caused by excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There ...
soon after she was married, around the age of 32.
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
. 6 August 1924.
Mary Bevan and her children
. Accessed 22 August 2007. She began to suffer from abnormal growth and facial distortion, along with severe headaches and fading eyesight. After the death of her husband in 1914, she no longer had the income to support herself and her four children. Bevan decided to capitalize on her appearance and entered an "Ugliest Woman" contest, which she won.
In 1920, she was hired by American showman
Samuel W. Gumpertz to appear in
Coney Island
Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
's Dreamland
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 ...
, a form of
freak show
A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "Freak, freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual Human#Anatomy and physiology, humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, t ...
, where she spent most of the remainder of her life. She also made appearances for the
Ringling Brothers Circus until her death. She was interred at
Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries
Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries (also known as Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery) were opened within one month of each other in 1858 and are sited on adjacent plots of previously open land. The two component parts are characteristic examples of the ...
.
Legacy
In the early 2000s, Bevan's image was used by
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a Privately held company, privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of greeting cards in the United ...
on a
birthday card
A birthday card is a greeting card given or sent to a person to celebrate their birthday. Similar to a ''birthday cake'', birthday card traditions vary by culture but the origin of birthday cards is unclear. The advent of computing and introductio ...
in the United Kingdom.
The card made reference to the television dating show ''
Blind Date
A blind date is a romantic meeting between two people who have never met before.
Both parties arrange a date with little to no information about each other, hoping for the possibility of making a lasting impression. Typically, a family member or ...
''. Subsequently, a complaint was made by a Dutch physician that it was disrespectful to a woman who had become deformed as the result of a disease. Hallmark agreed that it was inappropriate and stopped the distribution of the card.
[Danzig, Jon. '']British Medical Journal
''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...
''. 4 November 2006.
Doctor protests at greeting card manufacturer making fun of woman with acromegaly
.
References
External links
"Mary Ann Bevan, the world's ugliest woman", acromegalyat the Eugenics Archive
/nowiki> – The Homeliest Woman in the World]
* Podcast about Mary Ann Beva
* Friends of Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries (FOBLC) link to Mary Ann Bevan intermen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevan, Mary Ann
1874 births
1933 deaths
Nurses from London
People from Plaistow, Newham
People with acromegaly
Sideshow performers