Freaks and Circus Performers: The Last Sideshow

The whole world is wild at heart and weird on top

– David Lynch

When searching for your own identity or when figuring out to where you belong, it’s wise to follow Bernard M Baruch‘s advice, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

No one knows this more than the circus performers of Gibsontown, Florida, who are revealed by legendary photographer Hanspeter Schneider in The Last Sideshow.

A black and white masterpiece, it’s a photographic ethnography of the unique community, giving an intriguing and humorous eye into the group.

Schneider’s pictures show the identities of the circus performers who live together in a close community. A limbless old lady is pushed in a wheelchair by an elephant tamer, an obese man strips naked to show he’s so fat you can’t see his penis, a nail is hammered into a nose and together they form a motley crew, laughing at their misgivings and turning them into a great cause for humour.

The Last Sideshow equally reflects Schneider’s personality. Thomas Jacobi, Creative Director of Stern Magazine (one of Germany’s biggest) said, “in a business full of big-heads and big-asses, it’s seldom to find somebody with a big heart like HP [(Hanspeter)].” Few else could have achieved such a close and personal shoot in which the performers reveal themselves behind the scenes, and also not only bring out their personalities, but make them shine.

Schneider’s photography celebrates the provocative and The Last Sideshow mirrors his work photographing the carnival of Rio, published in Backstreets of Desire. The debate of using animals in circus shows is for another conversation, but nevertheless, above, the performer’s effortless pose against the standing elephant strikes awe.

Together they gather, the circus performers and ‘freaks’ of Gibsontown, Florida. The Last Sideshow is a wonderful peek into their lives and this moment in history, shot by a photographer able to capture both the deep humility of the subject while radiating their characters that will cause you to open the book, laugh, turn the page, grimace, close the book, and open it once more. What do you think of the photos – share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you find yourself intrigued by The Last Sideshow and its charms, you might also be interested by these extra books all of which I’ve read and enjoyed:

• Haunted Air by Ossian Brown
• Death: A Picture Album by Harris. R
• Mutter Museum: Historic Medical Photographs by various contributors