Sidonia de Barcsy
Sidonia de Barcsy (March 1, 1866–July 31, 1925) was a Hungarian baroness and bearded lady. She grew a beard after the birth of her first son, and performed in Western Europe and America.
Biography
[edit]At the age of eighteen, de Barcsy gave birth to her only son, Nicu.[1] Two weeks later, she began to grow a beard, a development which her doctor initially concealed from her.[2]
Around 1890, de Barcsy's husband, Antonio, became impoverished, and the family began performing in Western Europe as a traveling troupe. Sidonia was advertised as a bearded lady; Nicu, who would reach an adult height of less than a meter, was displayed as "The smallest Perfect Man on Earth"; and Antonio performed as a strongman.[1]
In 1903, the family troupe emigrated to the United States.[1] There they performed with a number of shows,[3] including the Hagenbeck-Wallace and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses.[1] Antonio began to perform as a stage magician, and Nicu as an escape artist.[2]
After Antonio's death in 1912, de Barcsy married Frederick Valentine Tischer, a trick roper. Tischer's gambling drove the family into debt, and de Barcsy signed on with the Campbell Brothers Circus to pay it off.[1] This brought them to Drummond, Oklahoma, where they settled permanently.[4] Tischer eventually abandoned de Barcsy, who died on 19 October 1925.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Herder, Wouter W de (1 July 2024). "Sidonia and Nicu de Barcsy: a famous mother with post-partum hirsutism after giving birth to a famous son with idiopathic short stature". Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Case Reports. 2024 (3). doi:10.1530/EDM-23-0095. PMC 11378127. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ a b Hartzman, Marc (2006). American Sideshow. East Rutherford: Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 34–35. ISBN 1585425303.
- ^ Sherrow, Victoria (30 March 2023). Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-17168-3. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ Cummings, Joe M. (7 November 2022). Oklahoma Tall Tales Uncovered. Arcadia Publishing. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4396-7664-6. Retrieved 28 June 2025.