Booklet: Admiral Dot the Smallest Man in the World and Annie Jones, the Bearded Girl
Booklet containing brief biographies of Leopold Kahn, a little person billed as Admiral Dot, and Annie Jones, a well known bearded woman. Both... Show moreBooklet containing brief biographies of Leopold Kahn, a little person billed as Admiral Dot, and Annie Jones, a well known bearded woman. Both biographies were written by W.C. Crum. The front and back cover are made of blue paper, and the front features a depiction of Kahn and his mother. Kahn himself stands on top of a table, wearing a suit and holding a top hat in his hand, and his hand rests on his mother's shoulder. The front cover gives the price as five cents. The back cover shows Annie Jones at age seven, wearing a dress with a large bow in the back and her beard well trimmed. Her age is given as seven years old, and the cover notes that she is "the most marvelous specimen of hirsute development known since the days of Esau, 3700 years ago." The inside cover features a portrait of P.T. Barnum, before the biography of Kahn begins. The biography of Annie Jones begins on page 12 of the booklet. Leopold S. Kahn (1859 or 1863-October 28, 1918) was a little person who was discovered by and performed with P.T. Barnum in his various circuses. Two of Leopold's brothers also had dwarfism. Leopold also performed elsewhere, including with Barnum rival Adam Forepaugh's circus. He married fellow little person Lottie Naomi Swartwood and the two had two children. Leopold died in 1918, due to the flu pandemic. Annie Jones (July 14, 1865- October 22, 1902), whose full name was Annie Jones Elliot, was a circus performer associated with P.T. Barnum's circuses. She had a long, well kept beard which made her a popular attraction. She was born in Virginia, and entered employ under P.T. Barnum when she was only nine months old. She remained in show business her entire life, and she strove to remove the word "freaks" from the descriptions of performers such as herself. She married twice, the second time to her childhood sweetheart. Jones died of tuberculosis in 1902. Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus that bore his name, but his circus ventures came about when he was in his 60s. The first show was called P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus. Railroads propelled the circus to success, making it easier to reach a number of locations, and the intake was significant. Barnum then opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, he encountered competition from other circuses. A merger between Barnum's show and the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the Barnum and London Circus. Negotiations in 1887 formed the Barnum and Bailey circus. The name remained until 1919 when it became the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It came to an end in May 2017 when the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus ceased performances after 146 years. Show less