In Pip and Flip, immense banners promote various sideshow acts, with one at left advertising the sca

In Pip and Flip, immense banners promote various sideshow acts, with one at left advertising the scantily clad “Pip & Flip Twins from Peru.” Called “pinheads” in the sideshow parlance of the day, Jenny Lee and Elvira Snow were sisters who suffered from microcephaly, characterized by abnormally small heads. Their hair was almost entirely shaved, except for a small patch on top, to accentuate the shape of their head.The Snow sisters were one of Coney Island’s greatest attractions during and after the Great Depression. They were born twelve years apart in Georgia, but media hype claimed they were twins from Peru or the Yucatán, making them seem exotic by associating their medical condition with a foreign culture. Reginald Marsh’s depiction of Elvira Snow at the center of this painting is a detailed portrait that humanizes her, unlike the caricature seen in the sideshow banner. The discrepancy between the glamorous publicity of the banners and the vulnerable performer is further underscored by the two dancers that flank Elvira. Posted by Connie H. ChoiReginald Marsh (American, 1898–1954), Pip and Flip,1932. Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago. -- source link

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