Andy Paciorek πβStephan Bibrowski aka Lionel the Lion Man (1890 - 1932)
- photographer and date unidentified
#CircusSideshow
#Hypertrichosis #VintagePhotogrphy #Carnivalia
Hotspurπ³οΈβππΊπ¦"Antonietta Gonsalvus," Lavinia Fontana, c. 1594-95.
Fontana (1552-1614) was a noted portrait painter who is now viewed as Western Europe's first female career artist, in that she relied on her commissions for her income...which was good because she was an acclaimed artist who got a lot of work and drew substantial patronage from the wealthy, rare for a woman of the time.
Not a lot is known of Antonietta Gonsalvus, other than she was the child of a man exhibited as a "wild man" and who certainly had hypertrichosis, or excess body hair. What makes this remarkable is that, in a time when people like this were viewed as less than human, Fontana gives her a sweetness, letting us see her as a normal child, and reminding us that this is a human being. (The note she's holding reveals her identity.) What could have been a work of exploitation turns into a gesture of compassion, and in a way, a gentle confrontation with the viewer.
From the ChΓ’teau Royal de Blois, France.
#Art #WomenArtists #Hypertrichosis #Compassion #ChildrenInArt
Portrait of Fedor Jeftichew aka JoJo the Dog-faced Boy
Photograph by Charles Eisenmann (circa 1880)
