FOTO FAKES

Faked photos began with the advent of photography itself and with digitalization have reached their pinnacle. For an excellent treatment of the subject see "Photo Fakery" by Dino A. Brugioni.  Here are some great examples of photographic manipulations from the world of human exhibition.

Smaun Sing Hpoo with Buffalo Bill Cody. Smaun was small, but not that small!

Adrien Esimilaire was one of the Marechal Midgets. Here he is shown with a prop to create a sense of smallness.

Amalie, the German Beauty. Realizing that it's hard to gauge size without a reference point an imaginative photographer added a "normal"-sized lady in the second photo.

An unidentified midget with a prop or perhaps a double exposure.

This photo was up for auction on Ebay and was titled "The Giantess of Giantrix". Get it?

In this photo of Dutch giant Jan Van Albert the woman is obviously "pasted" in.

Russian giant Machnow. This could be a tricked up room or Machnow is made to look larger by simply having him closer to the camera's lens.

Anna Belle Gray -  Almon Moxley photo

Siames twin foto fakes became especially popular as these 9 photos reveal.

Two-Headed man. Some of these photos were created as novelties and not meant to decieve.

Iowa photographer Almon Moxley used himself as the subject this time (1901)

I believe the photo above and below are of the same people.  I originally thought this was a faked photo but have now come to believe perhaps they were twins, one of whom had only half a body and was attached to his twin to appear as a conjoined act and billed as Adolph-Rudolph.

Chavita was so small she could fit in the palm of your hand! Early lithographs of midgets often employed this trick but with the advent of photography it was now possible to create the reality.

I've got to admit, these two pictures of a lady billed as "Bianca" have me wondering.  Many believe she was indeed a real freak of nature others that this is just another example of photo fakery.  What do you think?