The penny showman

Description:

Tom Norman, The Penny Showman, was the London showman, who managed Joseph Merrick, (aka "the Elephant Man") in his sideshow on the Whitechapel Road. Norman, in addition to providing Merrick a means to earn a living, he looked after him and they became good friends. Unfortunately, following the David Lynch film, "The Elephant Man", Norman is now remembered in the worst light: a drunken lout, who regularly beat Joseph. But, nothing could be further from the truth. David Lynch's Norman was a fictitious character - a result of artistic license. However, we can't entirely blame Lynch entirely, as his research came from the only surviving record of Joseph's association with Tom Norman -- Frederick Treves' memoirs, written years later, in 1921. He was Joseph's physician at the London Hospital. Treves, however, had a personal axe to grind with Norman. One day, Treves visited Norman's curiosity ("the Elephant Man") on the Whitechapel Road, (opposite the London Hospital), to speak with Joseph, but he had to 'wait' until the showman was ready. Jimmy, a helper, was in the process of buying Joseph's breakfast from a nearby shop. Frederick Treves didn't appreciate how long it took and grew impatient. Norman believed his curiosity was shut down by Treves.

subjects: Entertainers,  Biography,  Sideshow,  Freak,  Elephant Man,  Joseph,  John,  Merrick

People: Tom Norman

Places: Whitechapel,  Eastend,  East End,  London,  England,  United Kingdom,  Great Britain

Times: 1880s