The Old Showmen and the Old London FairsFrost, Thomas
History
The Old Showmen and the Old London Fairs
Frost, Thomas
Fairs -- England -- London; London (England) -- Social life and customs
Each of this mare's hind legs, besides its natural foot, had another
growing out from the fetlock joint; one of these additions was nearly the
size of the natural foot; the third and least grew from the same joint of
the fore leg. Andrews, the exhibitor, told Hone that they grew slowly, and
that the new hoofs were, at first, very soft, and exuded during the
process of growth.
The line of shows on the east side of Smithfield, commencing at Long Lane,
began with an exhibition of an Indian woman, a Chinese lady, and a dwarf;
and next to this stood a small exhibition of wax-figures, to which a dwarf
and a Maori woman were added. On a company being assembled, the showman
made a speech: "Ladies and gentlemen, before I show you the wonderful
prodigies of nature, let me introduce you to the wonderful works of art;"
and then he drew a curtain, behind which the wax-figures stood. "This,"
said he, "ladies and gentlemen, is the famous old Mother Shipton; and here
is the unfortunate Jane Shore, the beautiful mistress of Edward the
Fourth; next to her is his Majesty George the Fourth of most glorious
memory; and this is Queen Elizabeth in all her glory; then here you have
the Princess Amelia, the daughter of his late Majesty, who is dead; this
is Mary, Queen of Scots, who had her head cut off; and this is O'Brien,
the famous Irish giant; this man here is Thornton, who was tried for the
murder of Mary Ashford; and this is the exact resemblance of Othello, the
Moor of Venice, who was a jealous husband, and depend upon it every man
who is jealous of his wife will be as black as that negro. Now, ladies and
gentlemen, the two next are a wonderful couple, John and Margaret Scott,
natives of Dunkeld, in Scotland; they lived about ninety years ago; John
Scott was a hundred and five years old when he died, and Margaret lived to
be a hundred and twelve; and, what is more remarkable, there is not a soul
living can say he ever heard them quarrel."
Here he closed the curtain, and while undrawing another, continued his
address as follows: "Having shown you the dead, I have now to exhibit to
you two of the most extraordinary wonders of the living; this is the
widow of a New Zealand chief, and this is the little old woman of Bagdad;
she is thirty inches high, twenty-two years of age, and a native of
Boston, in Lincolnshire."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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