Isaac W. Sprague — The Sideshow Performer Known As ‘The Living Skeleton’
Wikimedia CommonsIsaac Sprague, pictured in 1867.
Born in 1841 in Massachusetts, sideshow performer Isaac W. Sprague developed normally for the first 12 years of his life. But one day, Sprague complained of a cramp. He then began to rapidly and alarmingly lose weight, despite maintaining a healthy appetite. His condition — thought to be progressive muscular atrophy — appeared chronic and, by adulthood, Sprague stood five feet, six inches tall, and weighed just 43 pounds.
His condition sapped his energy, making it difficult for Sprague to find steady work. After his parents died, a carnival owner spotted Sprague and suggested he put himself on display as a sideshow performer. Though Sprague was reluctant to do so, he decided to try and meet P.T. Barnum.
In Sprague’s account, he met the showman through an agent. As Sprague listened, Barnum murmured, “Pretty lean man, where did you scare him up?” Barnum, then looking to build up new acts after a fire had destroyed his sideshow museum, offered Sprague $80 per week (more than $1,000 today).
Sprague accepted the offer — and the rest of his life soon revolved around sideshows. Sprague performed in Barnum’s American Museum and joined Barnum when he took his show on the road. Along the way, he met and married Tamar Moore, with whom he had three healthy children.
Public DomainIsaac Sprague and his family. His three sons were born healthy, and did not develop the same condition as their father.
Sprague didn’t particularly enjoy working at a “freak show,” but he often felt like he didn’t have much of a choice. He struggled to find steady employment elsewhere, and he had also developed a gambling problem — which meant he often needed money to pay off debts.
All the while, Sprague’s condition took its toll. Frequently exhausted, Sprague wore a flask of milk around his neck to keep himself nourished. But he never managed to get his weight anywhere above 50 pounds.
He died on Jan. 5, 1887, at the age of 45. Though he’d earned a good living, Sprague gambled much of it away, and died in poverty.
