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| At 5' 7" John was a bit overweight at 165. But within the short span of just three years he had lost over 100 pounds! John decided to trade in his razor, scissors and strop. "One day in Chicago I was passing by a dime museum," he would say years later, "when I thought I would go in and exhibit myself." True "living skeletons", as they were known, were always highly sought after by museum owners and were very difficult to come by so, needless to say, John got the job. A well known "phantom", Isaac Sprague, was at that time in the twilight of his career, so John's affliction, in a manner of speaking, couldn't have come at a more opportune time. At first John's presentation was rather uninspired. He simply wore long johns, like boxers did, to clearly delineate his form. But as winter approached he found this unsuitable. So out of necessity was born "the skeleton dude," complete with a nice, warm dress suit. And what a dandy he was! |
| Every well-appointed man must have his valet but John's was just on loan (not even the dog is real!) |
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| (above) Isaac Sprague was America's best well-known thin man. He exhibited for about 20 years, passing away in 1887, when John's career was really taking off. To the best of my knowledge, unlike Ike, John's wife and children were never part of his act. |
| John outfitted himself with clothes tailored to accent his thinness. He was immaculately groomed and trimmed his facial hair in the Van Dyke style. For props he added an eyeglass and a cane. Pure speculation, of course, but J. W. probably wanted to include his wife and kids as part of his presentation, ala Sprague (left). It always made for a bigger draw if the audience could marvel at how a freak of nature could be part of a normal-looking family. But Evelyn would have none of it. The family would remain in Cedar Falls. It's always difficult to put yourself in another's shoes, especially when those shoes walked the earth 120 years ago. I wonder if John was upset that his wife chose to not follow him on tour? It is said he developed an eye for the ladies and that part of his show was to openly flirt with his female patrons. At any rate, I'm betting John's next capital idea didn't sit well with the missis. |