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Project / Copyright

For many years, I am an avid collector of old postcards show booth attractions dating from the late 19th Century to the 30s of the 20th Century.

plan Part of the collection, I with some brief explanatory text under the title
"Greetings from the great lady. Schaubude attractions on old picture postcards"
public.

The texts and one card can be viewed here first.
The copyright is of course with me. The illustrated maps are old originals from my collection.

a closer interest in the sideshows of previous fairs, I commend my comments in http://www.schaubuden.de/ .

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1 Introduction

A sinnenbetörender wall of sound poured on those who threw themselves into the pleasures of a fair at the time the penultimate turn of the century: Everywhere praise of rush hour, loudly supported by bells, drums or even small brass bands, the wonders and unique sensations of the show booths at. Prior to the cinematograph, Panoptic and roundabouts were heard from the melodies beautifully designed Orchestrions the latest popular songs. Ballad singers sang heartbreaking ballads to the sounds of their barrel organs. There were also the countless seller various delicacies, souvenirs, short and toys that promoted a hoarse voice for their services.
of the special atmosphere of previous festivals so loudly proclaim, with its many highly competitive positions show the old postcards, which are here shown to have some of this past hinüberzuretten "fair magic" in our time.
These are primarily two types of cards: first, the colorful, detailed lithographs that were sold in large numbers at fairs around the turn of the century, on the other, photo cards as souvenirs of sideshows, attractions such as the numerous "colossal women.

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(c) Stefan Nagel 2007

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2 curiosity

on a fair 100 years ago, dominated the various spectacles, the rides were in contrast to today less frequently. In the 19th
Century increased the knowledge and thus the interests of broad layers at the world outside their own area of experience. The attractions offered many possibilities of what people knew only from hearsay or from magazines and books to see with my own eyes. There was also a naive curiosity the exotic, the extraordinary and sensational. Not to be neglected after all, the erotic component. Many acts offered for its time very far-reaching insights, such as the popular tattooed ladies.
Given the variety of stalls, it is not surprising that the town crier or rush hour were the highest paid artists in the show often. In fact, it was a real art to awaken the interest of the first people strolling past and then to move to making their arduous earned pennies at the register.
The real "shindig" was so often before striking during the parade on a platform of painted facade instead. At this event the rush hour before the thrills and wonders of the world, while samples of the participants showed their skills: "There does need ma net neigeh, making out in front of his booth mehra Gaudi as wia drinna, chic di, that very front hikemma ma ..." (Karl Valentin)

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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3 Panopticon

The panopticon is fair in a special way of past, homey atmosphere show booth.
It was primarily a waxwork - but also often an anatomical as well as a natural and ethnological collection or better, a curio cabinet. To enhance the visibility of their record stores, many called her Panopticon logical operators as "Museum".

The types and themes of the wax-were similar to those which are now the focus of tabloids: representatives of ruling houses, artists, criminals, scantily clad ladies "spicy scenes. Were added mechanically animated figures and groups that had mostly tragic events or legends and fairy tales about substances.

main attraction, however, was often the anatomical department, which was housed in a cabinet only adults-only extra, for the was normally collected on a particularized charge.
subject of this extra cabinets, the human body in its external and internal characteristics, including sex organs. The plastic and thus very clear view of the objects were quite popular enlightenment, and even the public health: The images of diseased conditions of the institutions included in always eerily alarming way venereal diseases or consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

The non-waxy exhibits this "traveling Institute were primarily craft items from exotic countries, mollusc shells, insect collections, stuffed animals, Malformations and reptiles in alcohol, torture instruments, shrunken heads and the like. Special attractions were called relics - "original" objects that belonged to famous people that were of particularly gruesome effect unless it is acted equipment, the murderer had used in their deeds ...

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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4 menageries


"The biggest snake in the world" had to be there already, otherwise the audience in the numerous small menagerie or "snake dens' would be lost. Since it is not surprising that the sales talk could accept the zoological wonders in the competition for the attention of the audience truly "monstrous" proportions.
well the menagerie owner who could actually come up with natural wonders, a giant ox, for example, an animal or abnormality such as a calf with two heads. Experienced show booth visitors did at such attractions to the meaning of the adjective "alive" and it was missing from the announcement, so it was most likely a stuffed specimen with may not be inherent abnormalities ...
The small animal shows such attractions also needed to be next to the large menageries to say. Such business has over a considerable inventory of exotic animals. Highlights were always demonstrations of predators, the animal trainer and achieved the numerous lion tamer of the time beachtlichte dressage success with a savage or brutal means always Vorführstil.
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(c) Stefan Nagel 2007

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five illusions

The most famous show booth attractions, "the woman without a torso," was often an illusion, which was in "black cabinet" or produced by means of mirrors.

acted in many of the numerous shows at fairs illusion it's such a mirror illusions. Especially the woman's body was rarely shown in this show business entirely - and if so, in strange shapes as the various "planets women" with yard-long necks and more breasts.
was very common, the "woman with no head." "Guarantee" that these unfortunate women, as announced in the advertising "living" could be presented were many tubes that led from the neck to complicated medical equipment.
While most of these happen to be female only attractions were presented, communicated the "talking head" with his audience - seemingly often using of clairvoyant abilities.

Other Women swam without surfacing in a big aquarium in the heart all kinds of dangerous sea creatures, or even floating freely in space. This illusion worked by using a hub, and in turn, mirror projections.

The Magic Lantern, a precursor of the slide projector was used for illusions. Their involvement was "ghosts" or simulated by blending techniques transformations or metamorphosis of people and objects.

The audience was of course a rule that all these demonstrations were based on optical illusions - and the more perfect, that is, the less transparent they were, the better the show.

Nevertheless, there were always quite clumsy deceptions, so with the many "fish wives" or "mermaids", behind their announcements could sometimes even hide the display of a seal. Lacked the attribute "alive", is a preparation of a mummified monkey with a fish tail.

illusions were also the job of conjuring, which held at the fairs the proverbial shindig. They were usually simple apparatus tricks, and formed the "beheading of a living person on stage" often the highlight of the show.
The magician in the magic of booths surrounded themselves often with an exotic, mysterious aura or decorated themselves, if the experimental character of "natural magic" in the foreground, with "professorial titles.

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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6 Panorama and cinematograph

If a man for the year 1900 went to the movies, he did so as a rule at the fair. Stationary movie theater sat down first by very slowly.
addition to the variety owners recognized the showman first the possibilities of the new medium, which for some years, in particular a widespread Fairground attraction was. The "cinematography", "Bioscope" or "Electric Theater" presented their "living pictures" behind beautiful facades with integrated fairground organs. The modernity of the business and the wealth of their owners also documented the Front issued steam engines, on the one hand provided the business with electricity and constituted and as modern technical achievement a much admired focal point for the fair visitors.
were shown about half-hour programs with several short films. In addition to moving pictures of significant events, these were mainly small scenes in a colorful mix from crime, drama, comedy and eroticism. In particular, the "horrible" and "spicy" content could be considered in the early years of the resource of criticism, which focuses on alleged "harmful influences of the Kinematographentheater for Youth.

was very widespread before the advent of the panoramic cinematography.
had with the stationary circular paintings that show booths only the name in common. In Panorama to market through lenses paintings and later (stereoscopic) photographs are considered, which has been made often in simple lighting changes and plastic effects.
Although towards the end of 19. century, see also more "spicy scenes" are often remained views of distant lands, people and cities as well as world-historical events, but the central objects of attention. The panorama allowed in the truest sense of the word "insight" into the big wide world.

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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7 puppetry

The hand puppet particularly enjoyed great popularity. Many puppeteers were a wide audience and has hosted not only the delight of the children regularly at local folk festivals.
The revenues of the least-hand puppeteer ranged Look for a closed shop. Most were able to take any entrance fee and played "public", ie in the open. With their skills and talent for improvisation, it was dependent on whether audiences could be attracted and held in front of the theater. At the height of the presentation was the wife of the puppet around the collection plate.
went to about ten minutes, it plays very firm and straight down to business. Kasper was in the direct tradition make a fool of traveling comedians stages, he was greedy, operating determined and afraid of nothing - than from his wife. He boldly stood up against all sorts of bad guys, but also against the authorities and higher powers: whether robbers, witches, crocodile, police officer, hangman, devil or even Death himself - all were split his baton, the bed to feel!
The puppet show at the fair was held in contrast, usually show booths. Unlike the demonstrations taking place in halls have been listed here is usually no larger pieces. Instead, showed how members of the famous puppeteer family Schichtl short humorous pieces, transforming figures (Metamorphoses) and variety puppets that are particularly challenging feats led.

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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8 "Wilde"

came with people of color the people of earlier times are usually not in contact. The greater interest was "Moor" or "negroes" who were in the diffuse ideas of the people often primitive savages.
These racist views grew with the degree of dark skin of strangers: Black Africans or Australians were seen as particularly weak, while the exotic as the endearingly naive existing residents and their South Seas paradise supposedly living conditions in a more positive light shed.

served the showmen and spread these chauvinistic ideas by putting the dark-skinned foreigners as operating certain Wilde scene, the martial dances to drum beats and loud "war cry" together.
In contrast to the big international shows, who claimed an informative and sometimes entitled to at least met, were served in the carnival sideshows mostly only simple desires review of the public. "Chicken-eaters" or even "cannibals" were considered as special attractions.

The fact that the supposed "savages" were often dyed black performers agents said, spread quickly and was often all too obvious. The attribute "real" has been an indispensable element of the announcements, the "authenticity" by unhooking the certificates of "a substantial professors" was certified.

The intrinsic component of human erotic shows, incidentally, quite often aimed at the female audience also joined in the only men to reach the so-called "harem" finally out open. In these transactions are produced show scantily clad "Oriental women" before a Oriental-bombastic backdrop - but rarely granted the indicated in the announcements and the men hoped for insights ...

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(c) Stefan Nagel 2007

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9 Giant Women

the people that were asked for their striking appearance to show, in addition to little people, the giant or colossal man "very often. Most of these places were very stout ladies. Men had to have been a really extraordinary corpulence, to act as show booth attraction can - accounted to you at your normal body but the wealth beyond incentives to visit.
was on a great fair it is possible that several of these same women vied for the attention of the audience - and of course was each of them "the worst of the present" and "the world". The caller is not stingy with exaggerations about the "honorable gentlemen" just to lure in their booth. Its impressive weights are therefore likely to have been at least as questionable as the fit of the often outdoors issued "original garments.
Mostly, these women just are examined, as she told of the questions answered and gift cards sold. The audience was often male. Whether the given body weight is actually true, few of the gentlemen will have interest in the interior of the booth yet.

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demonstrated, however small demonstrations in exceptional physical strength. They also exercised primarily for the male audience with a special appeal.

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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10 Midget

Midgets were the largest group among the so-called "anomalies". In fact, it is
in two clusters, among which are Lilliputian in turn the majority.
These people have stopped growing in early childhood and have childlike features, squeaky voices, but normal body proportions on. Many
Lilliputians were members of large forces. Some impresarios built up at fairs miniature cities, where the Lilliputians were staying during the opening times and the audience the impression conveyed to move as it were, like Gulliver in the land of Lilliput. Other
traveled with circuses and variety shows pure Lilliputian, which gave the little people in funny scenes, clowning, acrobatics, singing and dance performances for the best. This repertoire was also shown in carnival sideshows.
Special attractions were also numerous "youngest couples in the world".
In other positions should show only one midget additional Create an incentive to visit, such as a porter in panoptically or cinematograph.

were sometimes dubbed midget example, in the so-called "dwarf theaters" as dwarfs, although the actual "dwarfs" look quite different:
midgets often have short limbs and a in relation to body large head with bulging forehead and depressed nasal bridge. Their specific nature of these proportions for many people "funny sounding" movements and their distinctive appearance led to a certain definition of midgets on comic roles in sideshows and circuses.

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(c) Stefan Nagel 2007

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11 giant

people with gigantism due to increased production of growth hormones also appear on even today in the headlines of the tabloids. 100 years ago, they were the stars of the "abnormalities" which - if it actually has "outstanding" body sizes possessed - but were often not as show booth attraction in Release: enterprising impresarios organized tours of major cities, with Panoptic were particularly frequent venues. Many of the famous giant were modeled in wax, and remained so sometimes even after their death in these establishments present.

than average people were great but of course also shown in carnival sideshows, with the rush hour, it often with information as to their actual extent of her appetite and her strength did not take that seriously either.
order to strengthen the impression of their height, wore giants and giants often high headgear. Them was made page also often a partner of a rather small body size, whereby the effect was increased to the audience as well.
The joint appearance with midgets and midgets all was the most effective way to let the "abnormal" body measurements clearly emerge.

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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12 hair people

the knowledge of other sections of the community to the exact circumstances of the human development needs at the beginning of the 20th Century have been very diffuse in any event, were the scene positions of so-called "Missing Links", allegedly missing link between animal and human kingdoms and busy show booth attractions. The hair people were the most common animal people - half man, half beast. " A few of these freaks achieved stardom as "Lionel the Lion" and "Jojo the poodle man."

The showman had many more bizarre explanations for the thick body hair of their "scientific mystery," only the very banal reason, the further growth of the embryonic wool hair was mostly left out: So the audience often hair-raising stories were the origin of the various forest people such as the "monkey women" served.

A lot of hair in his beard, women also aroused the interest of fair visitors. As in the hermaphrodites, which were also shown in booths ("half man - half woman"), the effect of these women was based on the audience not least their supposed hermaphrodite.
men who wanted to let their beards could inspect for money, they grow to enormous length. subject in the days when the appearance of strict standards that had been such an "abnormality" clearly show value.

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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13 Tattooed

A fully tattooed body turned to a time when the opportunities were limited freedom to express one's individuality very much a real sensation dar.
Since the end of the 19th Century it was in the vast majority are women who campaigned so to be tattooed all over and it occasionally to the limits of propriety at that time also presented to the test. Introduces the audience to as "risk taking a look" under the pretext of a detailed consideration of the "art" welcome opportunities.

Many Tattooed presented in the stalls a little artistic program, often spitting fire and snake shows.
Even more may have been the visitors, however, captivated by the stories about the alleged origin of the images. Sometimes it was a matter of painful ritual tattoo native rites which they travel in remote parts of the world had to suffer.
motifs such as Christ on the cross was to bring such stories but hardly consistent. Apparently the audience were, however, such inconsistencies not occur because the interest was actually less the pictures ...

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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14 other freaks

an abnormal appearance or deviant behavior aroused the curiosity has always been the supposedly "normal" people. In times of high regard for compliant behavior and standardized appearance, the interest in otherness was particularly large. Some performers preferred
profit from them, by exposing "abnormal people", the so-called "Freaks," the curiosity of the audience. Whose interest in striking of such contemporaries persists until today, but no longer satisfied in fair booths, but by the tabloid journalism.

The group with actual or simulated special skills involved, among other "incombustible", "Good and omnivores," "Living sockets," "Human Pincushion" - to "Fart Artist" and people who stand out your eyeballs from their sockets could be

The actual Freaks on the other hand had an abnormal appearance, including albinos, extremely underweight, people with disfiguring bone deformities, skin diseases or missing limbs, including "The woman without a torso".

The display of such hard-hit by the fate of people, from today's perspective, not understandable. For a physically very prominent human exposure to such ostentation was not necessarily a bad lot: Within the separate community of circus or carnival artists they found in general a very extensive treatment to them not to those times in different environments nearly would have enjoyed.

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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15 Artists

The artistic performances in show booths, the business ran "Theater", "Circus" or "variety" are often of rather low quality. Mostly, the program was made up of Rubber acrobatics, knife throwing, tightrope walking, spitting, pet training, snake shows and clowns. The promotional sales talk of the rush hour was also of particular significance: the artist rubber became the "woman with no bones," the fire-eaters to the "non-combustible. In addition
presented the stall holders in advertising more or less spectacular advertising numbers out great. This could be a big illusion, a power athlete or as a special attraction "Gedankenleserei.
was specifically used very accessible to the adult audience advertising, no parade, no program without provocatively dressed artistes. In the very popular "living pictures" of this aspect was quite open to the forefront and everyone knew what these "academic art productions," the reproduction of paintings and antique sculptures groups incarnate people, actually had to marvel at: Young women in tight-fitting Full body kits ...

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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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16 athletes


The strong man was a synonym for the show booth artist par excellence.
The strong men are often called Samson or Hercules. She put enormous weights, crushed stone horseshoe with his bare fist, torn, blasted chains, bent iron rods or proposed large carpenter nails with her hands in thick oak planks. Men with an "iron teeth" lifted heavy weights with their teeth, the "living stone quarries" or "anvils" were smashed with sledgehammers stones on their chests. Also
strong women, so do not correspond to the image of women of the time, confused the world of men by their appearance and their body forces alike.

often received visitors of the shows the opportunity to measure their forces with those of the athletes, but in the event of a victory waved high rewards. Such comparison competitions were special attraction for visitors, which the audience was of course always on the side of the volunteers from their own ranks. Showed great courage those who placed themselves in wrestling booths, the Stabuffs, the fair athlete. The admiration of the other visitors and was the adored them safe, fails to make the prize money in most cases, however,
not ... Quite a few stalls attracted to female fighters who competed against male challengers fought out or even pure ladies wrestling. The athletic competition was on these shows completely back behind a superficially rough pleasure for a male audience.
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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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17 Greetings from the giant lady

greeting from the giant lady
Postcards proclaim the fair and bustle of earlier times

postcards developed in the late 19 Century to an industrially manufactured mass-produced, who enjoyed great popularity.
Until 1905, the title of the photo page often. The reason was that the front was reserved for only the address. Many postcards from this period have, therefore, on the image side of a small white box with the words "Greetings from ..." or "Greetings from ..." for short messages.
The cards also appeared from the start to the festivities. First, there were
lithographs that were offered in a vendor's tray or a small stand.

picture themes were often carnival scenes with the typical shops of the time, as well as individual attractions or humorous scenes.
was worth it for large fairs to announce his own lithographs commissioned. Most maps show but repetitive Motifs that differ only by imprints like "Greetings from the shooting match ...". Other cards have no or only a stamped location information.

Although the representations "oversubscribed" simplistic, often amusing and sometimes in the truest sense, they give an interesting insight into the year market life 100 years ago. Inform you about the types of rides and display at the fairgrounds, the dishes, but also at all times over the often rough, sometimes excessive and uninhibited rush of festivities.

came after the First World War on colored photographs that give realistic impressions.

Another very common motif were individual rides and show positions in particular. The sale of these mostly very simple souvenir cards with black and white photos was an important source of income of different show booth attractions like Lilliputians, "colossal man" or "giant" dar.
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(c) 2007 Stefan Nagel

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18 literature

Selected further reading

Eberstaller, Gerhard: Schön is such a carousel. Fairground, fairs and festivals in Austria. Vienna 2004

Jay, Ricky: Sauschlau and refractory. People, animals and thrill of show business. Dt. Frankfurt / M. 1988

Nagel, Stefan: show booths. History and manifestations.
Münster 2001-2009 (available online: www.schaubuden.de/ )

Anne Rieke-Müller, Lothar Dittrich: On the road with wild animals. Hiking menageries between teaching and commerce from 1750 to 1850. Marburg 1999

Scheugl, Hans: Show Freaks & Monsters. Cologne 1974

Szabo, Sacha-Roger: noise and the crowds. Attractions at fairs and amusement parks. Bielefeld 2006

Till, Wolfgang: old postcards. Augsburg 1992