Born with "a good-sized mustache" that quickly turned into a full beard, Annie Jones was put on display in sideshows by her parents before she could even walk.
Wikimedia CommonsAnnie Jones, the “Bearded Lady.”
In the 19th and 20th centuries, audiences flocked to sideshows where performers with disabilities or unusual physical characteristics put their bodies on display. One of the most popular sideshow performers were the “bearded ladies” — women with facial hair usually caused by conditions like hirsutism — and of these, Annie Jones was among the most famous.
Placed in sideshow performances from a very young age, Jones spent her life putting herself on display. She was incredibly popular with audiences, and her performances allowed her to travel the world, but Jones often found her work deeply demoralizing. Jones hated the word “freak” to describe performers like herself and tried, unsuccessfully, to campaign against it.
Indeed, despite her success as part of P.T. Barnum’s “Greatest Show on Earth,” Annie Jones suffered from considerable tragedy during her life.
This is her story.
Annie Jones Becomes The Bearded Lady
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Frederick Hill Meserve CollectionAs a child, Annie Jones already had the facial hair that made her a famous sideshow performer.
Born on July 14, 1865, Annie Jones was different from the beginning. According to the Wellcome Collection, Jones’ parents and siblings had a normal amount of hair, but Jones was born “with a good-sized moustache.”
Jones likely had hirsutism, a condition which can cause excessive hair growth in women. And her parents, who were initially “distressed” about her facial hair, soon came to see her unusual appearance as an opportunity.
“Freak shows” or “sideshows” had been spreading in popularity since the 1840s, and P.T. Barnum had opened his famous American Museum in New York City in 1842. “Freak show” members usually had an unusual characteristic, like great (or diminutive) height, or a physical deformity. And in fact, there had already been one very famous bearded lady: Julia Pastrana.
A Mexican woman born in 1834, Pastrana’s body was nearly entirely covered in thick, dark hair. Dubbed the “Ape Woman,” the “Hairy Woman”, the “Dog-Faced Woman,” and the “Bear Woman,” Pastrana was a minor celebrity of the Victorian Age. She toured Europe throughout her life, displaying her intelligence and ability as a dancer and singer. After she died, her mummified body continued to be put on display; she wasn’t buried until 2013.
National Library of Medicine – History of MedicineJulia Pastrana, another famous “bearded lady” who performed in sideshows during the 19th century.
Given the appetite for sideshows, Jones’ parents decided to put their daughter on display. As Robert Bogdan wrote in Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit, Jones was only around a year old when she first began to perform. P.T. Barnum exhibited her as the “Infant Esau,” a nod to the famously hairy brother of Jacob in the Old Testament.
As she got older, Jones’ facial hair became even more pronounced. By the age of five, she already had a full beard and sideburns, and her stage name evolved from “Infant Esau” to be “Esau Child.” Ultimately, however, Annie Jones would be best known as the “Bearded Lady.”
Annie Jones’ Life As A Sideshow Performer
Public DomainAnnie Jones posing for a portrait, circa 1900.
It didn’t take Annie Jones long to make money as a sideshow performer. She was such a hit for Barnum that the famous showman offered her parents $150 a week (roughly $3,000 today). According to The Guardian, this financial windfall helped Jones’ family raise her 11 siblings. But though Jones’ budding career as a sideshow performer was highly lucrative, it also came with risks.
She was so popular that other circus recruiters took notice. They clamoured to feature Jones in their shows, and one especially ambitious New York phrenologist resorted to kidnapping Jones. Police found her on display at a local church fair and, though the phrenologist tried to claim that Jones was his child, she quickly ran back to her parents and his case was dismissed.
Indeed, performing in sideshows could be a double-edged sword. Many side show members could not seek traditional work; sideshows were often their only way of making a living. And though performing in sideshows could be a lucrative option, performers had to deal with jeering audiences, abusive circus recruiters, and the exhaustion of displaying themselves.
Despite these challenges, however, Annie Jones became one of the most successful sideshow performers of her day. She traveled the world, emphasizing up her feminine attributes by wearing dresses and playing musical instruments. While touring through Russia, Jones was even asked by Russian painters to pose as Jesus (she refused).
Public DomainA Belgian poster promoting Annie Jones.
But despite her success, Annie Jones’ life would ultimately come to a sad and early end.
The Sad Final Days Of The Bearded Lady
Like Julia Pastrana, who died at the age of 25, Annie Jones also had a short life. But while she spent most of it performing in sideshows around the world, she also had experiences outside of her career.
For one, Jones married twice. Around the age of 16, she married sideshow “barker” Richard Elliot. They were together for about 15 years, but divorced in 1895. In the aftermath, Jones married William Donovan. They traveled as a duo act in Europe but, sadly, Donovan died just four years later.
Public DomainA portrait of Annie Jones.
For another, Jones also advocated for sideshow performers such as herself. During her era, they were most commonly known as “freaks.” At the end of her life, Jones unsuccessfully campaigned against this word.
But sadly, Annie Jones fell ill during a visit with her mother in Brooklyn. She had tuberculosis, and she died at the age of 37 on Oct. 22, 1902. According to The Guardian, her dying wish was to be buried with her beard intact.
In the end, Annie Jones had “known no other life than that of a freak.” But she was much more than a performer — Jones was a star.
After reading about Annie Jones, the “Bearded Lady” of P.T. Barnum’s sideshow, discover the story of Stephan Bibrowski, the performer covered in hair who was known as the “Lion-Faced Man.” Or, learn about Fanny Mills, the sideshow performer with oversized feet.
