Pickled Punks / Life Shows
The showing of unborn babies in jars goes back to the earliest museums, including The Kunstkamera (or Kunstkammer; Russian: Кунсткамера) in Saint Petersburg Russia, established by Peter the Great and completed in 1727.
From the 1930's, up until they were widely banned in the 1960's, "pickled punk" show were on nearly every carnival show in America.
-
FREAKS
- BEASTS
-
FEATS
- Acrobats (37)
- Bag Puncher (2)
- Bicycle & Unicycle Acts (5)
- Buried Alive/Suspended Animation (3)
- Contortionists (26)
- Daredevils (37)
- Equilibrists (14)
- Funambulists (10)
- Fire Acts (35)
- Human-Fish (1)
- Iron Skull (7)
- Knife Throwers (6)
- Mechanical Man/Living Doll/Robot Man/Living Statue (3)
- Sharpshooters (5)
- Strong Folk (40)
- Whip-Crackers (1)
-
WORKING ACTS
- Bed of Nails/Nail Board (9)
- Circassians (72)
- Electric, Magnetic, X-Ray Acts (7)
- Ethnic Curiosities (45)
- Fakirs (30)
- Glass Eaters (4)
- Gurners and Grimacers (10)
- Human Blockhead (2)
- Human Ostrich (7)
- Human Pincushions (10)
- Hunger Artists (23)
- Regurgitators and Water Spouters (14)
- Snake Acts (84)
- Sword-Box (1)
- Sword Ladders (10)
- Sword Swallowers (88)
- Tattooed People (112)
- Wild Folk (98)
- NOVELTY/VARIETY
- ODDBALLS
- EXHIBITS
- SIDESHOW
- DIME MUSEUM
- CARNIVAL
- CIRCUS
- VAUDEVILLE
- SEX ! ! !
- MISC.
-
MORE
- Freak and Novelty Performer Advertising (14)
- The Unknown Performers (2)
- Showmen & Promoters (61)
- Balloons and Airships (1)
- Banners & Banner Painters (47)
- Confections, Snacks and Refreshments (11)
- Fortune Tellers, Psychics, Spirtualists, Mindreaders (15)
- Punch & Judy, Puppets, Marionettes (11)
- Trade Publications (13)
- Funhouse, Dark Ride, Spook Show (2)
Performers in this category
JOIN THE SHOW!
You're missing all sorts of good stuff. If you were a member, you would see thousands of color images, detailed biographies and all sorts of fascinating information about each image. Why not BECOME A MEMBER today?