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Myrtle Corbin: Four-legged woman and 'freak show' star


myrtle corbin, four legged woman, victorian freakshow
Myrtle Corbin was one of the most successful 'exhibitors' in the sideshow industry

To get our 'freak fix' we have reality TV and plastic surgery addicts, but in 'ye olden days', if you wanted to gawp at people who looked weird you would head to a freak show - and boy, there was a LOT to see.


Victorian freak shows: Looking at the controversial spectacles through 'woke 2020' eyes, it can be easy to immediately dismiss them as purely exploitative and cruel; but if you've watched The Greatest Showman, then you'll know that actually for a lot of these 'freaks', being part of a circus allowed them a life that most people could only dream of.