Unlike well-known women writers, missionaries, and wives of statesmen, a diverse set of women gained celebrity primarily through their bodies and physical appearances. Some were remarkable for their size, others for their transgressions of female norms, and still others for their illnesses, disabilities, or longevity. These portraits, published between 1771 and 1859, appear in works as varied as almanacs, journals of phrenology, and ethnographic histories. Whether the publications were intended to educate or entertain, the portraits today provide us with a lens through which we can better understand historical constructions of the female body.
Curated by Hilary Malson, 2010.
Resources
This Extraordinary Woman: Portraits of Female Curiosities in Early American Print Culture
