The Nelson Supply House

Of the old time gaff makers’ creations, The Nelson Supply House’s “Mummified Curiosities” are among the most gruesomely beautiful, most fully conceived attractions ever sold. The imagination and quality which went into creating them allowed Nelson to sell his creations “C.O.D. with the privilege of examination”(1). But proprietor William “Billy” Nelson didn’t just sell you a $25 papier-mâché gaff— he sold you a whole show. Supplying the banners, a scripted pitch, and the attraction itself, Nelson generated a whole business for the showman. All the would-be showman had to supply was the tent and the ticket-box.

That so many of these fragile creatures have survived 90-100 years intact is testament to their value as objects with continuing power to amaze. Up until the1990’s Ward Hall still carried a couple of Nelson mummies on his show.(2)

From about 1890 Nelson advertised his creations in The New York Clipper, including a “Wonderful SERPENT CHICKEN” and “CAT WITH TWO HEADS.”(3)

Nelson advertised in his “LIST No. 10” that “A Lecture is sent with Each Attraction,” and most of the attractions sold could be purchased with the banners reproduced above, or without.

Considering that the cost of the banner was an expensive $15 on this 1930’s list, perhaps many showmen had their own made, as even in the late 1940’s companies like George Bellis would sell you a pre-painted banner for as little as $9.(6) Certainly the quality of the banner art shown in Nelson’s list is eye-catching and original— so much so that these banners today could bring a small fortune with collectors.

In addition to Billy Nelson’s own mythological creations, such as “TWO HEADED CHINESE PA-LU-CA,” he also advertised several gaffed freak attractions which may be more familiar to today’s sideshow fan and historian. For in addition to creating “Strange, Remarkable, Curiosities and Monstrosities, both Animal and Human,” he also creates what he calls “Mummified Reproductions of the World’s Greatest Side Show Wonders who once lived and were exhibited alive.”

These “Reproductions” included “Antonio, The Italian Twins,” i.e. “The Tocci Brothers” (“Weight 125 lbs.”); “Labow, The Egyptian Double Boy,” i.e. “Laloo” (“This is a Money Getter….There is a Boy of This Kind Now Alive on Exhibition”); “The Grown Together Girls,” i.e. “The Hilton Sisters” (“We [also] have a small grown together girls about 3-1/2 ft. high, girls about 14 years old”). These appear in his list with photos of the real Tocci Brothers and Laloo, and could also be purchased with banners.

By selling “Mummified Reproductions” of living sideshow acts— which were no doubt billed on the outside as the real thing— Nelson embodied the wisdom that in sideshow the banner was often more important than the actual exhibit. Of course the Nelson “Mummified Reproduction” inside the tent had to be pretty good, otherwise the quantity of beefs might bring the show more heat than it needed.

While mass-producing his gaffs could have made Billy Nelson rich, little is know about his actual enterprise. We only know that he made a good enough living from it to give up “”practically a lifetime in the Show Business as manager, Performer, Speiler and Lecturer with Circuses, Museums, Wild West and Carnivals….”(7)

While Nelson was without doubt a talented artist imbued with imagination and skill, he was, if nothing else, a showman first. He understood that it was ultimately about getting the nickels and dimes and quarters from the marks. And since the show was exactly just that, it was easy for him to advertise his “Two Headed Hockadola” as:

“…a thousand miles ahead of dancing girls, wild men, or snake eaters. A dead man can get money with it.” (8)

And a living man could probably do pretty good too.

— D.B. Doghouse, December 2005.

REFERENCES (see below)

This page last updated December 26, 2005.

(1) “LIST No. 10,” The Nelson Supply House. South Boston, MA (ca. 1930)

(2) Stencell, A. W. “Seeing Is Believing: America’s Sideshows”. Canada: ECW Press, 2002. p.41.

(3) Ibid. p. 39.

(4) Ibid. p. 40.

(5) John Robinson, Sideshow World (www.sideshowworld.com)

(6) In conversation with Ward Hall, September 2005.

(7) “LIST No. 10,” The Nelson Supply House. South Boston, MA (ca. 1930)

(8) Stencell, A. W. “Seeing Is Believing: America’s Sideshows”. Canada: ECW Press, 2002. p.40

Shown below: The details on this Nelson mermaid show why his work was considered the best in the business. From 1909 (4) until at least 1938, (5) Nelson continued to sell such creatures (and banners) as KING JACK-A-LOO-PA, The