50 Extraordinary Characters &C Described in the Work
CultureUnited Kingdom
MediumInk on paper
ClassificationPrints
Credit LineTibbals Circus Collection
Object numberht8000370
In many ways attitudes towards physical difference reflect more about the society than about any one person. The prints in the collection were created in the 18th and 19th centuries, but often are derived from source images and life stories that date back further. Printed images of “Extraordinary Characters” were a response to rapid industrialization and standardization of daily life. By sharing the stories of people whose lives differed from the average, the makers of these images intended to explore the diversity of the human experience.
This print depicts thirty people famous for differences that ranged from physical to psychological to situational. Some, like Patrick O’Brien the Irish Giant, are seen in other images in this gallery, others like Powell the Pedestrian, who walked 402 miles roundtrip between London and York in five days and five hours, are mostly lost to history. Whether they wanted it or not, each of these individuals was described as a wonder and their stories were shared through the centuries to inspire others.
On View
Not on viewCollections
November 14, 1828
The Strobridge Lithographing Company
1913
