Vintage Circus Pictures

Come travel to a time when the circus was born. Back when snake charmers, bearded ladies, albinos, crazy lunatics, the mentally retarded, giants, fat people, midgets, Siamese twins, legless or armless people were all put up on stage to be gawked at. Sure there were the gymnasts on the flying trapeze, the tightrope walkers, the clowns, the dancing animals, but back then the main attraction was the freak side show. Now, since the time of political correctness, we’ve abandoned the idea that staring at people with genetic deformities and human oddities as just plain cruel. The freak show now consist of the mysterious realm of sword swallowers, fire eaters and the majorly tattooed or people who have modified their body to an extreme like the lizard or leopard man. These are the bona fide freaks! The greatest show on earth is now the much more tame traveling Ringling Bros. circus for kids and the famous Cirque du Soleil. Click on product name or image to view product details.