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Though many disabled people were ostracized by their communities, some found ways to get by and even thrive in the public eye throughout the nineteenth century. In the “Work” chapter of Keywords for Disability Studies (NYU Press, 2015), Sarah F. Rose explains that disability rights activists fought for their place in the labor market as they understood the importance and need for work in order to maintain good social standing (189).

The individuals  with disabilities whose traces can be found in the Clements collections were no exceptions to the nineteenth-century race to get ahead. Catherine and Victoria Foster, often called “The Fairy Sisters,” were both below two feet tall. Their parents displayed them around the country, creating an attraction of the “two smallest women in the world.” Justin Wells was an acclaimed writer during the 19th century who used his mouth to write because he was paralyzed. Martha Ann Honeywell, an artist without arms, also used her mouth for her creations, crafting silhouettes and numerous other forms of art before an audience. If some thought him mentally unsound due to his actions and personality, Lord Timothy Dexter’s status and wealth shielded him from negative stigma and rendered him merely “eccentric.” General Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Straton) and his wife, Lavinia Warren, who both had dwarfism, achieved incredible fame as performers in freak shows and were even invited to speak with Abraham Lincoln at the White House. Hunter Smith, who had rheumatism (loss of movement in legs), played the dulcimer, which made him famous in Illinois and Iowa. Millie and Christine McKoy, conjoined twins born into slavery, performed songs and dances for packed audiences. Queen Victoria was one of their fans, and met with them on one of their European tours in 1871. 


These artifacts do not represent the full scope of working disabled individuals during the nineteenth century. Many disabled individuals were able to find ways of making a living, but few had the wealth or privilege necessary to memorialize their talents and/or have their stories arrive at the Clements. We are limited by the contents of our archive, and can only display so much of the story of making a living while disabled. A person’s disability is often erased from the narrative if they are able to successfully integrate themselves into the mainstream walks of society, even though their disabilities were defining characteristics of their being (Davis 10). The success of the individuals we display is not meant to separate them from more commonly known disability history, but instead, highlights that disability is not always a roadblock to success, but can instead be a launchpad to make a lasting, fulfilling living.

To see the images enlarged, as well as image descriptions, follow the link to each individual image.

Collins & Chambers collection

Collins & Chambers, “The Fairy Sisters,” pencil sketches, 1872, likely in St. Louis, Missouri. Image description: Two penciled mock-ups of advertisements for what was then called a freak show, about 5 inches by 3 inches in size. They depict two extremely small girls held in the hands of their parents – a woman wearing a long dress and, next to her, a man. They appear to be on a stage, with the curtains drawn up above them. The phrase “The Fairy Sisters” appears above the image. Below them is the phrase “the smallest people in the world.”

These advertisement sketches by the art company Collins & Chambers, known for their promotional posters for various circus shows, feature Catherine (Cassie) and Victoria Foster, known colloquially as the “Fairy Sisters.” Cassie and Victoria both had a unique form of dwarfism, with some reports citing that they were between one and two and a half pounds each at birth. The sisters began tours around the eastern United States in 1872 and appeared on stage in various outfits alongside musicians and various other performers. Though the girls gained great notoriety for their small stature, with some even claiming they were the smallest people in the world, their careers were short lived. Victoria contracted meningitis at the age of three and a half, and one year later Cassie passed away from an infection at the age of eleven—only three years after they began going on tour. Since the girls were so young during the height of their careers, they had no say in how they were employed, and were forced to be  a spectacle by their parents.

Silhouette by Martha Ann Honeywell (1808)

A profile silhouette of a Victorian man in a high collar and bowtie, by Martha Ann Honeywell (1786-1856). A penciled inscription below reads “Cut by M. Honeywell without hands.”

 Martha Ann Honeywell, the silhouette artist, was born with no arms, no hands, and only 1 foot with 3 toes. Using her unusual physical form to her advantage, Honeywell became a well-known artist and performer throughout North America, using her mouth to create carved silhouettes, including this one, among other forms of art, for a live audience. Her artistic prowess allowed her to travel across the United States as well as internationally, adding her own unique spin to the common nineteenth-century practice of silhouette creation. Though many disabled artists created silhouettes, Honeywell, through her expert marketing techniques and highly-acclaimed performance tactics, gained great notoriety and fame for her work, and was regarded as an exemplary American woman for her artistic feats (Daen 228). Her disabled form challenged normative American ideals of femininity, making her a truly unique example of how some people with disabilities could make a living by going against commonly accepted expectations.

Narrative and Reflections of Justin Wells (1851)

A pamphlet by Justin Wells called “Narrative and Reflections of Justin Wells” published in Boston by C. H. Peirce, 1851.  Image Description: The book’s frontispiece image depicts Justin Wells writing by laying a manuscript out in front of his chair and placing a pen between his teeth. 

Narrative and Reflections of Justin Wells (1851)

“… while I trust with the spirit, and with the understanding also, I have sung the praise of God. I next discovered, that by holding a pencil between my teeth, I could write on paper, arranging my manuscript with the pointed wire attached to my teeth, by means of a cord drawn between them, by which it was suspended when not in use. I soon attempted to use a pen in the same manner, and by diligent application for nearly a year, succeeded in being able to write legibly.

Having thus far overcome difficulties that seemed utterly insurmountable, I now conceived the idea of writing a little book, and at once addressed myself to the work. Slow and tedious has been the process; but the result is now before the reader, accompanied with the earnest desire that the author may prove a sun of consolation to some of the afflicted ones of the earth.”

Justin Wells was an acclaimed writer during the 19th century. After contracting an unidentified disease in his adult years, he became completely paralyzed from the neck down, with no ability to move his body other than his head. Wells initially found himself struggling to grapple with his new physical condition. Though considered by many to be an invalid, he spent many years working to operate independently, and eventually prided himself on his ability to work around his newfound disability. With his mind and vocal abilities completely unaffected by his paralysis, Wells wrote  by laying a manuscript on his chair, and putting a pen between his teeth, describing this process in detail in the selected passage. He hoped his prowess as a disabled man would inspire other disabled folks, challenging them to find new means of operation, and to find ways to work for themselves.

Something new, or, Memoirs of that truly eccentric character, the late Timothy Dexter, Esq. : together with his last will and testament.

A pamphlet memoir by Jonathan Plummer printed by Parks Press, 1808. This small pamphlet on Dexter’s “eccentricities” includes a loose page with a poem written by Dexter.

Lord Timothy Dexter was known for foolish business practices. Dropping out of school to work on a farm at a young age, Dexter did not have much of an education. He was often taken advantage of by other businessmen who tricked him into scams such as selling bed warmers and wool mittens to the already warm West Indies, coal to Newcastle, and gloves to the South Sea Islands. Socialites did not accept him, yet he still bought properties in places where they lived. He tried to emulate an eccentric socialite, and decorated his garden with forty statues of famous men. Some believed his reputation as an eccentric obscured  underlying mental disabilities, though his wealth shielded him from any major criticisms. He faked his own death, and when his wife did not cry at his wake, he revealed himself and divorced her. He used his memoirs to solidify his legacy, calling himself a “man of fame." His memoir reveals that in the absence of criteria for determining intellectual capacities, those who had the means to finance an extravagant lifestyle could escape the stigma of intellectual disability by casting themselves as eccentrics.

His poem reads: 

Lord Dexter is a man of fame,
most celebrated is his name;
More precious far than gold that’s pure,
Lord Dexter live forevermore.
His noble house it shines more bright
Than Lebanon’s most pleasant height.
Never was one who stepp’d therein
That wanted to come out again.
His house is fill’d with sweet perfume,
Rich furniture doth fill his room;
Inside and out it is adorn’d.
And on the top an eagle’s form’d.
His house is white and trimm’d with green,
For many miles it may be seen;
It shines as bright as any star,
The fame of it has spread afar.
Lord Dexter thou whose name alone
Shines brighter than King George’s throne.
Thy name shall stand in books of fame,
And Princes shall thy name proclaim.
Lord Dexter has a coach beside,
In pomp and splendor he doth ride;
His horses champ the silver bit,
And throw their foam around their feet.
The Images around him stand,
For they were made by his command.
Looking to see Lord Dexter come,
With fixed eyes they see him home.
 
You can access more information about Lord Timothy Dexter in this NPR podcast here.

S. Hunter Smith & Jennie Rowe Smith (1870); Mr. & Mrs. "General Tom Thumb" in their wedding costumes (1863); 2 headed girl, Millie-Chrissie (1860s)

Three cartes de visite or collectable visiting cards with photos of celebrities. They are equal in size, roughly that of a modern baseball card.

The first card depicts S. Hunter Smith and Jennie E. Rowe Smith in 1870, the former an older gentleman with a beard, holding the hand of the younger woman, Jennie, sitting beside him. Although it’s hard to tell, the man is in a specially designed wheelchair. He could no longer walk after contracting rheumatism and became known for his musical skill, which earned him the name “little Smith, the dulcimer man.”

The second card is titled “Mr. & Mrs. General Tom Thumb” and depicts two little people, Tom Thumb- born Charles Sherwood Stratton – and his wife, Lavinia Warren Stratton, in their wedding clothes arm in arm, facing forward. Printed in New York by E. & H.T. Anthony, 1863.

The third and final card is called “2 Headed Girl, Millie-Chrissie,” and was printed in St. Louis by J.H. Fitzgibbon, during the 1860s. It is a seated portrait of Millie and Christine McKoy, two young, conjoined African American women. They wear lace-up boots, lace-trimmed dresses, pearl necklaces and starred crowns. One girl holds a book, the other holds a handkerchief.

These three images: one of Tom Thumb and his wife, one of Hunter Smith and his wife, and one of Millie and Christine McKoy, together showcase different ways of being a disabled celebrity. Charles Stratton, or “General Tom Thumb” and his wife, Lavinia Warren Stratton, Hunter Smith, and his wife, Jennie E. Rowe, and Millie and Christine McKoy had disabilities that were deemed “interesting” by society. Consequently, all of them employed their disabilities on the stage in front of an audience. 

Hunter Smith, had rheumatism (loss of movement in his legs), which left him disabled. During the years 1850-3, he was educated by Dr. A.C. Price, in which Smith was given instruction of the fundamentals of education, and a desire to read. Smith was eventually provided a chair by Jonas Keck that allowed him to sit upright in 1853, the first time in 13 and ½ years. Hunter Smith then returned from Keokuk County, Iowa to Knox County, Illinois, and started playing the dulcimer in 1854. He then became known as “Little Smith, the dulcimer man.” During this period, Smith became famous across portions of Illinois and Iowa; allowing him to make a living for himself and his wife, Miss Jennie E. Rowe.

Tom Thumb and his wife used their dwarfism to make a living by appearing in a highly popular freak show tour. At age four, Charles S. Stratton, later called “Tom Thumb,” became an immediately popular attraction or “human curiosity” after being discovered by P.T. Barnum in 1842. Throughout Stratton’s early years with Barnum, Charles Stratton was heavily exploited and transformed into General Tom Thumb at the age of eleven before becoming a hit in Europe too. He was one of the best-known “midgets” globally, in both America and Europe. In the year 1863, Stratton married Lavania Warren– another little person employed by Barnum known as “Little Queen of Beauty”– in an elaborately staged ceremony in New York City. They continued to travel with one another, performing across the world.

Millie and Christine McKoy (1851-1912), conjoined twins born into slavery, sang and danced in front of sold-out audiences (including Queen Victoria on more than one occassion). These two young girls were former slaves who became stars on the nineteenth-century circus circuit in the U.S. and  Europe. They went by many stage names– “The Carolina Twins,” “The Two-Headed Nightingale,” and “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” Freed from slavery by the Emancipation Proclamation, the girls never again allowed themselves to be displayed in the nude. The twins spent 30 years performing all over the world. After this, Millie and Christine returned and retired to the plantation where they were born. They had inherited it from their father, who purchased the property.