Agency through Otherness: Portraits of Performers in Circus Route Books, 1875-1925

Ida Williams

A young woman in her twenties, Ida Williams was a very popular fat woman in the circus. Over the years she was employed, from 1884-1895, she traveled with three different circuses: Sells Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros. Circus, and the Great Wallace Shows. They used many different names to introduce her in their programs, ranging from “Monster Girl” to “Fat Lady” to “Mastadonic Fashion Plate”. 

Though the circus used such boisterous names to title her, Ida was described as an unusually beautiful and attractive woman with a happy disposition. She was also well known for her elaborate costumes and jewelry. Little is known about her personal life, but according to the Great Wallace Shows route book in 1895, she had a husband and a daughter who came to visit her at the circus. 

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