Big Joe" - the largest man in the world" – Historic Reproduction
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
This rare historic photograph captures Big Joe" - the largest man in the world" in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.
The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
Big Joe" - the largest man in the world"
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Billed on its caption card as "the largest man in the world," the subject of this c1903 print was known as Big Joe, a title that was more showmanship than measurement. Around the turn of the century, dime museums and traveling sideshows built acts around people whose size or appearance drew crowds, and studio portraits were often sold to audiences as souvenirs of the spectacle. The card's subject tags, including "human curiosities" and "obesity," show how the era framed such bodies as entertainment. The record is unverified, so the man's full identity and the circumstances of the sitting remain uncertain.
| Created / published | c1903. |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 photographic print. |
| Notes | This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Human curiosities; Obesity; Freaks; Shelf. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,074 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-147560 |
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