Baby Ruth
JOHN STEUART CURRY (1897–1946)
After studying art in Paris, Curry, an American Scene painter, traveled for three months in 1932 with the Ringling Brothers Circus. Here, “Baby” Ruth Pontico worked in the popular “freak show” as the “fat girl.” At her peak weight of 800 pounds, she was one of the highest paid side-show employees of her time. Freak shows and circuses were popular in England in the 18th century before gaining momentum in America in the next century.
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The Individual and the Public Eye