BROCKTON FAIR

These photos were taken at the Brockton Fair "Freak Show" in 1973. The term "freak show" is, of course, politically incorrect, but was the name used by the Brockton Fair and countless other circuses for this kind of sideshow, until rather recently. Emmett, the man with no limbs, displays his signature on a blackboard, written with a piece of chalk held between his stumps. He actually was quite self-sufficient, and lived by himself in his own apartment. Bill Cole, the man with just an upper torso, was run over and cut in half by a train. However, he was upbeat and liked to play practical jokes. I tried to show these people in a way that showed their humanity, and as a group they appreciated the photos.