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{{Short description|German sideshow performer (born 1905–1906)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Violetta
| name = Violetta
| image = Violetta.jpg
| image = Violetta (Aloisia Wagner).jpg
| caption = Violetta in 1925
| caption = Violetta in 1925
| birth_name = Aloisia Wagner
| birth_name = Aloisia Wagner
| birth_date = 1906 or 1907–?
| birth_date = 1905 or 1906
| birth_place = [[Hemelingen]], [[Germany]]
| birth_place = [[Hemelingen]], [[German Empire]]
| death_date = {{circa}}1940 (aged {{circa}} 35)
| known_for = having [[tetra-amelia syndrome]], sideshow performer
| known_for = having [[tetra-amelia syndrome]], sideshow performer
| height = {{circa}} 3 feet
}}
}}


'''Aloisia Wagner''' (born 1906/1907, date of death unknown), better known by her stage name '''Violetta''', was born without legs or arms with a condition known as [[tetra-amelia]] syndrome. She was born in [[Hemelingen]], [[Germany]], and had a lengthy career in sideshow performance.<ref>{{cite book|author=Marc Hartzman|title=American sideshow: an encyclopedia of history's most wondrous|year=2005|page=225|quote=Having not a single arm, leg, or stump, Violetta was known as the Trunk Woman and the Human Torso. She was born Aloisia Wagner in Germany in 1907, and came to America in April 1924 to exhibit herself at [[Coney Island]] Dreamland.}}</ref>
'''Aloisia Wagner''' (1905 or 1906 - {{Circa}} 1940), better known by her stage name '''Violetta''', was a [[German Americans|German-American]] woman who was born without legs or arms with a condition known as [[tetra-amelia]] syndrome. She was born in [[Hemelingen]], [[Germany]], and had a lengthy career in sideshow performance.<ref>{{cite book|author=Marc Hartzman|title=American sideshow: an encyclopedia of history's most wondrous|year=2005|page=225|quote=Having not a single arm, leg, or stump, Violetta was known as the Trunk Woman and the Human Torso. She was born Aloisia Wagner in Germany in 1907, and came to America in April 1924 to exhibit herself at [[Coney Island]] Dreamland.}}</ref>


Aloisia Wagner was born in either 1905 or 1906. Her exact date of birth is unknown.
[[File:Violetta3.jpg|thumb|left]]


On March 23, 1924, she left her birth city of [[Bremen]]-Hemelingen, [[Germany]], with her stepbrother and manager, Karl Grobecker, aboard the ''[[SS George Washington]]'' which arrived in New York on April 3, 1924.<ref>{{citation|title=List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States Immigration Officer at Port of Arrival, SS George Washington Passengers Sailing from Bremen, March 23, 1924, Arriving at Port of New York, April 3, 1924|year=1924}}</ref> According to the ship manifest, Aloisia had blonde hair and green eyes, was 3 feet tall, and was allowed into the U.S. for 25 weeks to work for [[Samuel W. Gompertz]] in his Dreamland Circus Side Show.<ref>{{citation|title=Liberty Ellis Foundation ship manifest|url=http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/show-manifest-big-image/czoxNzoidDcxNS0zNDY5MDQzOC5qcGciOw==/1|pages=1–2}}</ref> She was the daughter of Elise Wagner, of [[Hemelingen]], Moltkestr. 26 (map<ref>{{Google Maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Graf-Moltke-Stra%C3%9Fe+26,+28211+Bremen,+Germany/@53.07893,8.8312513,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x47b127e3df3730d3:0x66cd29557cc7131a!8m2!3d53.07893!4d8.83344|access-date=5 February 2017}}</ref>). The manifest's "Held For Special Inquiry" page shows that both were held (in hospital) for one day before being allowed to enter the U.S. Other pages of the manifest from this ship list many members of the [[American Circus Corporation|John Robinson Circus]], which was later acquired by [[John Nicholas Ringling]], Violetta's later employer.
On March 23, 1924, she left her birth city of [[Bremen]]-Hemelingen, [[German Empire|Germany]], with her stepbrother and manager, Karl Grobecker, aboard the {{SS|George Washington}}, which arrived in New York on April 3, 1924.<ref>{{citation|title=List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States Immigration Officer at Port of Arrival, SS George Washington Passengers Sailing from Bremen, March 23, 1924, Arriving at Port of New York, April 3, 1924|year=1924}}</ref> According to the ship manifest, Aloisia had blonde hair and green eyes, was 3 feet tall, and was allowed into the U.S. for 25 weeks to work for [[Samuel W. Gumpertz]] in his Dreamland Circus Side Show.<ref>{{citation|title=Liberty Ellis Foundation ship manifest|url=http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/show-manifest-big-image/czoxNzoidDcxNS0zNDY5MDQzOC5qcGciOw==/1|pages=1–2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513110703/https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/show-manifest-big-image/czoxNzoidDcxNS0zNDY5MDQzOC5qcGciOw%3D%3D/1|archive-date=May 13, 2019}}</ref> She was the daughter of Elise Wagner, of [[Hemelingen]], Moltkestr. 26 (map<ref>{{Google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Graf-Moltke-Stra%C3%9Fe+26,+28211+Bremen,+Germany/@53.07893,8.8312513,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x47b127e3df3730d3:0x66cd29557cc7131a!8m2!3d53.07893!4d8.83344|access-date=5 February 2017}}</ref>). The manifest's "Held For Special Inquiry" page shows that both were held (in the hospital) for one day before being allowed to enter the U.S. Other pages of the manifest from this ship list many members of the [[American Circus Corporation|John Robinson Circus]], which was later acquired by [[John Ringling]], Violetta's later employer.


For many years Aloisia performed in several [[sideshow]]s and [[Freak show]]s as a singer and oddity, including [[Coney Island]]'s [[Dreamland (Coney Island, 1904)|Dreamland]], the [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus]], and the [[Mighty Haag Circus]]. A 1925 photo (shown on page) shows her performing at the World Museum (freak show) in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|title=1925 Photo of Violetta|url=http://circus.pastperfectonline.com/photo/34423B8C-F5C8-4026-9344-014710145276|website=Circus World}}</ref> According to his biography, famed writer [[Jean Cocteau]] visited Violetta at [[Luna Park, Paris]] in 1927, describing her as "a stubborn German woman."<ref name="Arnaud2016">{{cite book|author=Claude Arnaud|title=Jean Cocteau: A Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXnsDAAAQBAJ|date=September 27, 2016|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-18216-3|page=457}}</ref> In 1929, the Belgium surrealist journal ''Variétés'' published a photo of Violetta.
For many years, Aloisia performed in several [[sideshow]]s and [[freak show]]s as a singer and oddity, including [[Coney Island]]'s [[Dreamland (Coney Island, 1904)|Dreamland]], the [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus]], and the [[Mighty Haag Circus]]. A 1925 photo (shown on the page) shows her performing at the World Museum (freak show) in [[Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite web|title=1925 Photo of Violetta|url=http://circus.pastperfectonline.com/photo/34423B8C-F5C8-4026-9344-014710145276|website=Circus World}}</ref> According to his biography, famed writer [[Jean Cocteau]] visited Violetta at [[Luna Park, Paris]] in 1927, describing her as "a stubborn German woman."<ref name="Arnaud2016">{{cite book|author=Claude Arnaud|title=Jean Cocteau: A Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXnsDAAAQBAJ|date=September 27, 2016|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-18216-3|page=457}}</ref> In 1929, the Belgian surrealist journal ''Variétés'' published a photo of Violetta.


Wallace Stort of the London Life Magazine wrote of her several times.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1926/19260925.html|title=Famous Though Limbless|magazine=London Life Magazine|date=September 1926}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1929/19290216.html|title=Limbless People I Have Met|magazine=London Life Magazine|date=February 1929}}</ref><ref name="stort">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1940/19400127c.html|title=Amazing Account Of A Limbless Beauty Show|magazine=London Life Magazine|author=Wallace Stort|date=January 27, 1940}}</ref> Stort's 1940 article is the last known publication referencing Violetta, describing in detail how she moved herself by hopping from place to place on the bottom of her torso, and was able to manipulate objects with her mouth enough to comb her own hair, dress herself, thread a needle, and sew. Stort also stated that Violetta was married and wore her [[wedding band]] on a gold chain around her neck, though no other information about her husband can be found.<ref name="stort" />
Wallace Stort of the {{Ill|London Life Magazine|de|London Life}} wrote about her several times.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1926/19260925.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205224255/http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1926/19260925.html|archive-date=February 5, 2010|title=Famous Though Limbless|magazine=London Life Magazine|author=Wallace Stort|date=September 1926}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1929/19290216.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015010916/http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1929/19290216.html|archive-date=October 15, 2009|title=Limbless People I Have Met|magazine=London Life Magazine|author=Wallace Stort|date=February 1929}}</ref><ref name="stort">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1940/19400127c.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614200829/http://www.overground.be/londonLife/1940/19400127c.html|archive-date=June 14, 2009|title=Amazing Account Of A Limbless Beauty Show|magazine=London Life Magazine|author=Wallace Stort|date=January 27, 1940}}</ref> Stort's 1940 article is the last known publication referencing Violetta, describing in detail how she moved herself by hopping from place to place on the bottom of her torso and was able to manipulate objects with her mouth enough to comb her own hair, dress herself, thread a needle, and sew. Stort also stated that Violetta was married and wore her [[wedding band]] on a gold chain around her neck, though no other information about her husband is known.<ref name="stort" />


==See also==
==See also==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{commonscatinline}}
{{commons|Aloisia Wagner}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070701210205/http://www.quasi-modo.net/Violetta.html Violetta at quasi-modo.net]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070701210205/http://www.quasi-modo.net/Violetta.html Violetta at quasi-modo.net]
*[http://www.phreeque.com/violetta.html Violetta at Phreeque.com]
*[http://www.phreeque.com/violetta.html Violetta at Phreeque.com]
*[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E4DF1E3EF933A05756C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all New York Times article on Coney Island]
*[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E4DF1E3EF933A05756C0A9629C8B63 New York Times article on Coney Island]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Violetta}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Violetta}}
[[Category:1900s births]]
[[Category:1900s births]]
[[Category:20th-century deaths]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]
[[Category:Sideshow performers]]
[[Category:Sideshow performers]]
[[Category:People with tetra-amelia syndrome]]
[[Category:People with tetra-amelia syndrome]]
[[Category:American amputees]]
[[Category:Congenital amputees]]
⚫
[[Category:German amputees]]
[[Category:German emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:German emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:People from Bremen]]
[[Category:Entertainers from Bremen (city)]]
⚫
[[Category:German people with disabilities]]


{{Germany-entertainer-stub}}

Latest revision as of 15:50, 19 August 2024

Violetta
Violetta in 1925
Born
Aloisia Wagner

1905 or 1906
Hemelingen, German Empire
Diedc.1940 (aged c. 35)
Known forhaving tetra-amelia syndrome, sideshow performer
Heightc. 3 ft

Aloisia Wagner (1905 or 1906 - c. 1940), better known by her stage name Violetta, was a German-American woman who was born without legs or arms with a condition known as tetra-amelia syndrome. She was born in Hemelingen, Germany, and had a lengthy career in sideshow performance.[1]

Aloisia Wagner was born in either 1905 or 1906. Her exact date of birth is unknown.

On March 23, 1924, she left her birth city of Bremen-Hemelingen, Germany, with her stepbrother and manager, Karl Grobecker, aboard the SS George Washington, which arrived in New York on April 3, 1924.[2] According to the ship manifest, Aloisia had blonde hair and green eyes, was 3 feet tall, and was allowed into the U.S. for 25 weeks to work for Samuel W. Gumpertz in his Dreamland Circus Side Show.[3] She was the daughter of Elise Wagner, of Hemelingen, Moltkestr. 26 (map[4]). The manifest's "Held For Special Inquiry" page shows that both were held (in the hospital) for one day before being allowed to enter the U.S. Other pages of the manifest from this ship list many members of the John Robinson Circus, which was later acquired by John Ringling, Violetta's later employer.

For many years, Aloisia performed in several sideshows and freak shows as a singer and oddity, including Coney Island's Dreamland, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and the Mighty Haag Circus. A 1925 photo (shown on the page) shows her performing at the World Museum (freak show) in Los Angeles.[5] According to his biography, famed writer Jean Cocteau visited Violetta at Luna Park, Paris in 1927, describing her as "a stubborn German woman."[6] In 1929, the Belgian surrealist journal Variétés published a photo of Violetta.

Wallace Stort of the London Life Magazine [de] wrote about her several times.[7][8][9] Stort's 1940 article is the last known publication referencing Violetta, describing in detail how she moved herself by hopping from place to place on the bottom of her torso and was able to manipulate objects with her mouth enough to comb her own hair, dress herself, thread a needle, and sew. Stort also stated that Violetta was married and wore her wedding band on a gold chain around her neck, though no other information about her husband is known.[9]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Marc Hartzman (2005). American sideshow: an encyclopedia of history's most wondrous. p. 225. Having not a single arm, leg, or stump, Violetta was known as the Trunk Woman and the Human Torso. She was born Aloisia Wagner in Germany in 1907, and came to America in April 1924 to exhibit herself at Coney Island Dreamland.
  2. ^ List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States Immigration Officer at Port of Arrival, SS George Washington Passengers Sailing from Bremen, March 23, 1924, Arriving at Port of New York, April 3, 1924, 1924
  3. ^ Liberty Ellis Foundation ship manifest, pp. 1–2, archived from the original on May 13, 2019
  4. ^ "Violetta (performer)" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. ^ "1925 Photo of Violetta". Circus World.
  6. ^ Claude Arnaud (September 27, 2016). Jean Cocteau: A Life. Yale University Press. p. 457. ISBN 978-0-300-18216-3.
  7. ^ Wallace Stort (September 1926). "Famous Though Limbless". London Life Magazine. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010.
  8. ^ Wallace Stort (February 1929). "Limbless People I Have Met". London Life Magazine. Archived from the original on October 15, 2009.
  9. ^ a b Wallace Stort (January 27, 1940). "Amazing Account Of A Limbless Beauty Show". London Life Magazine. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009.
[edit]

Media related to Violetta at Wikimedia Commons

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