The Astonishing French Giantess. Six Feet, Four inches high & of beautiful Symetry
Date1825
MediumInk on paper, handcolored engraving
DimensionsHEIGHT: 12 1/2 × 9 3/4 in. (31.8 × 24.8 cm)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineTibbals Circus Collection
Object numberht8000352
When examined closely, some of the individuals commemorated in print for their extraordinary bodies, might not be viewed as such curiosities today. At 6 foot, 4 inches, “The Astonishing French Giantess,” while certainly taller than average, would probably not be considered a public spectacle today.
This image, created for the woman’s presentation at St. James Street in London, does not give her identity. It is possible that she Madame Gobert, a performer who toured the British fairs several years earlier as the “French Female Hercules.” She was noted as touring at that time with her husband and their infant son. Gobert’s act included supporting an anvil weighting 400 pounds on her stomach while blacksmiths forged hammers on top of it. Next, she lifted the same anvil with her hair and finally, she lifted a chair and tossed it 10 feet behind her using only her teeth!
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