The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the

The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the Victorian Age

A radical new history that rediscovers the remarkable freak performers whose talents and charisma helped define an era.

On March 23, 1844, General Tom Thumb, just 25 inches tall, entered the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and bowed low to Queen Victoria. On both sides of the Atlantic, this meeting marked a tipping point in the nineteenth century, and the age of the freak was born.

Bewitching all levels of society, it was a world of curiosities and astonishing spectacleâ€”of dwarfs, giants, bearded ladies, Siamese twins, and swaggering showmen. But the real storiesâ€”human dramas that so often eclipsed the fantasy presented on the stageâ€”of the performing men, women and children, have been forgotten or marginalized in the histories of the very people who exploited them.

In this richly evocative account, John Woolf uses a wealth of recently discovered material to bring to life the sometimes tragic, sometimes triumphant, always extraordinary stories of people who used their (dis)abilities and difference to become some of the first international celebrities.

Through their lives we discover afresh some of the great transformations of the age: the birth of show business, of celebrity, of advertising, and of â€œalternative factsâ€ while also exploring the tensions between the power of fame, the impact of exploitation, and our fascination with â€œotherness.â€
Country USA
Brand Pegasus Books
Manufacturer Pegasus Books
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2019-11-05
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781643132204

Country	USA
Brand	Pegasus Books
Manufacturer	Pegasus Books
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2019-11-05
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781643132204

The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the Victorian Age

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