Fiji mermaid
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The Fiji mermaid was an object composed of the torso and head of a juvenile monkey sewn to the back half of a fish. It was a common feature of sideshows where it was presented as the mummified body of
Another "mermaid", made of papier-mâché, from the same collection of Moses Kimball—Harvard University's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
The Banff Merman, similar to a Fiji mermaid, on display at the Indian Trading Post
A merman constructed out of wood carving, and parts of monkey and fish, Booth Museum, Brighton
Sideshow
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In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. They historically featured human oddity exhibits, preserved specimens
Fiji mermaid
…also Feejee mermaid) was an object composed of the torso and head of a juvenile monkey sewn to the back half of a fish. It was a common feature of sideshows where it was presented as the mummified body of a creature that was supposedly half mammal and half fish, a version of a mermaid. The original had fish…
Painting on sideshow truck, firebreather, Florida, 1966
Elly del Sarto, a sideshow performer, in c. 1910
Decaying sideshow advertisement, Florida, 1966