Daisy and Violet Hilton: The Siamese Twins of Vaudeville
Daisy and Violet Hilton: The Siamese Twins of Vaudeville
26 Sep 2023
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Beginning in the 1830s in Europe and the United States, traveling carnivals and circuses gained popularity. One feature of the traveling shows was a collection of acts and displays known as the sideshow. Usually separate from the main acts of the show, and thus requiring a separate admission fee, the sideshows displayed what may politely be called “curiosities”. Little people, called midgets, were popular. So were bearded ladies; overly obese people; heavily tattooed men and women (which wouldn’t present much of a curiosity today); “wild” men advertised as coming from Borneo, Tasmania, or some such exotic locale; and many others.
One of the most popular attractions were conjoined twins, known as Siamese Twins, though their link to that Southeast Asian kingdom was for the most part in the imaginations of the presenters. They, together with their fellow performers, many of whom were fakes, formed what became known as freak shows. When vaudeville and burlesque theaters gained popularity, the freak shows accompanied them. Conjoined twins, particularly those who exhibited other artistic talents, became a large part of vaudeville acts. In the United States and Europe, one of the most famous acts in the early 20th century were the conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton.
They performed in vaudeville and burlesque, carnivals, circuses, and even films. Their act included musical performances, with Daisy on violin and her sister playing the saxophone, and dancing. Eventually both sisters played saxophones and clarinets as part of their act. Despite their immense popularity they were ruthlessly exploited and physically abused by their “owners”, who denied them their own earnings, kept them under lock and key, and subjected them to physical and mental abuse.
Theirs is a sad tale of exploitation, abuse, and unfortunately does not end in redemption.
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Further Reading:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2332195/?page=1
https://memoriesofsanantonio.com/2021/02/05/violet-and-daisy-san-antonios-conjoined-twins-their-uplifting-story-facing-the-odds-and-adversity/
https://www.thebioneer.com/houdini-training/
https://archive.org/details/liveslovesofdais0000jens/mode/2up?view=theater
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1998/12/21/the-c-e-o-of-comedy
https://archive.org/details/liveslovesofdais0000jens/mode/2up?view=theater
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022913/
https://prod-www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/556437/chained-for-life/#synopsis https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/mark-washburn/article9124838.html
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