Born 1891 in Warsaw, Poland, Lionel was covered in a one-inch layer of hair from moment one! According to Circus myth, Lionel's mother had seen his father shred to bits by lions while pregnant, and the trauma so affected her that it deformed her child!
Of course, the real reason was much simpler. Stephan/Lionel was born with Hypertrichosis. According to the lore, however, Lionel's Mom considered him an abomination, and gave him up to a German exhibitor named "Meyer" when he was only four years old. "Meyer" gave Stephan the name Lionel, and began exhibiting him around Europe.
By that time, Lionel's facial hair had grown to eight inches long (not even the least bit of skin was visible), and four inches long everywhere else on his body. The only places not covered with hair were the palms of his hands, and the soles of his feet. He also only had two natural teeth, another birth oddity.
Lionel came to America in 1901 and began appearing with the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Lionel performed leaping and bounding gymnastics in his stage performances, and spoke to the audience in a cultured manner to display a gentler side. Regarded as a perfect gentleman, and well-dressed, Lionel was very educated, and spoke five different languages.
In 1920 Lionel emigrated to the US, and became a very popular stateside attraction, appearing at Coney Island for a spell.
During his career Lionel earned upwards of $500 a week for his shows, a hefty sum for the time.
In the late 1920s, Lionel gave up the bright lights and glamour of showbiz and moved back to Germany. In 1932 he passed from a heart attack while staying in Berlin, just missing the rise of a political group which almost surely would have had him euthanized. Lionel was never married.
It's unknown whether Lionel ever associated with any Tin Woodsmen, Scarecrows, or lost little girls.
4 comments:
Hi, I'm enjoying reading all of your past entries. Looking forward to more.
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Megan
That's interesting...I'd heard of Fedor Jefticheive ("Jo-Jo") before but this is the first time I'd read about Bribowski.
Hypertrichosis is quite a strange condition, though luckily I'm sure that it's probably much easier to take care of these days, through laser hair removal and so forth.
What a marvelous blog. I got deeply into show freaks years ago and still love to be reminded of the era. Thank you, and I do hope you pick up this blog again. I'm reposting the picture of young Lionel on my blog for students of English, the Island Weekly (http://annehodgson.de/blog), along with a link to this page.
Do you work as a sideshow barker? Where? Were you involved in the Blackpool "Admission All Classes" events of the past year?
Warm regards,
Anne
People should read this.
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