Millions of people around the world have, at some point, been interested; moved; inspired; or have even found strength in Joseph's story. This blog is here to continue that legacy. This is not the place for fiction and neither is it a fan club. Instead, you will be able to research facts, participate in serious Joseph-related discussion and, of course, contribute information yourself. We look forward to hearing from you.
~ Jeanette Sitton
Sunday 27 November 2011
This Blog wouldn't be the same without your contributions. We look forward to reading your posts.
What image comes to mind when you hear the words, “Elephant Man?” Even if you haven’t seen the 1980 movie by David Lynch, the very words conjure up images of sideshows, circuses, a monster that is half-human, half-animal. The name has an indelible ring that implies something abnormal. Yet over a century ago, the name was borne by a small, gentle, literate man who, by all accounts, cherished poetry, the Bible, and beauty in all its forms.
How did Joseph Carey Merrick come to be viewed as, a symbol of something bestial and ugly beyond compare? For over a century he has captured our imaginations, even as the known facts of his life recede into the past. Until thirty years after his death, Joseph was mainly known as a bizarre specimen within the dusty pages of nineteenth-century medical journals. No doubt he would have remained there, had not the noted surgeon, Frederick Treves, chosen to feature him in his final book, “The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences,” (Cassell, 1923.)
Joseph himself actually was the first to create the legend of The Elephant Man. Desperate to escape the workhouse, he signed on as with a traveling sideshow. It was easy to find a show name, having heard the story of his mother’s accident with an elephant, all his life. His various features – the heavy folds of skin, large bumpy forehead, and ponderous feet, called to mind an elephant. Hence, “The Elephant Man, Half-A-Man, Half-An-Elephant” was born. Until he was robbed by an unscrupulous manager, he did well in his sideshow career and was proud to be earning his way in the world, independent of the English Poor Law workhouse and charity.
In his memoirs, however, Frederick Treves presented “John” Merrick, as he called him, as a humble, helpless object of pity, who needed to be rescued from exploitation as a ‘freak.’ It’s clear that Treves did save Joseph from starvation and probable death on the day Joseph returned to England from the Continent, desperate and destitute. The ambitious young surgeon was ahead of his time in seeing that, beyond food and shelter, his charge also needed friendship and stimulation. Treves initially hoped that the Elephant Man was ‘imbecile,” in the terms of those days, with no awareness of his dilemma.
As he began to understand Merrick’s impeded speech, however, Treves grew increasingly astonished by Joseph’s intellect and rich inner life. Isolated and forced to live mainly through his imagination, Joseph had formed complete worlds, peopled with impossibly beautiful women to be worshipped, and dashing heroes to emulate. He was intensely romantic and hungered for love, knowing it would be forever denied him.
During most of the four years Treves knew Joseph, he had trouble perceiving him as a full-fledged man. In his memoirs, Treves made a point of toning down that aspect of Joseph, emphasizing his more feminine traits, e.g. his love of fine clothes and imaginary primping with a dressing case. He described Merrick as “amiable as a happy woman.” Yet after Joseph lost his battle with the disorder that consumed him, Treves perceived him as a hero. He drew parallels with ‘Pilgrim’s Progress” to describe Joseph’s tortured journey, “ besplattered with the vile mud of Vanity Fair” until he ” gained with manly steps the farther shore.” His final tribute to Joseph, was the quote that opens this book, in which he describes him as an ‘upstanding man…whose eyes flashed undaunted courage.”
My name is Alice Townes and I’m a Student of Northbrook College of Brighton University England, UK. I am studying a BA in Theatre Arts Hair and Make Up Styling for Theatre and Media. So I decided on the character of Joseph Merrick, aka The Elephant aspect. This has meant studying Joseph Merrick’s life, the play and the film. As a Make Up Artist, I have decided to recreate the famous picture of Joseph in his Sunday Best.
PART ONE My Trip to London I arrived at Whitechapel Station. The Royal London Hospital was right there and it took my breath away. It’s very impressive and grand. The hospital's name is written in big, shiny, gold letters, and is such an old building that you can imagine Joseph being there. I walked to the hospital garden and saw the statue of Queen Alexandra. She was the Princess of Wales when she befriended Joseph. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity. I walked to St. Philip’s Chapel. It's beautiful! In the Museum, I saw straightaway Joseph’s memorabilia in a glass cabinet. I was quite overwhelmed. Every piece was meaningful. I love Joseph's Sunday Best picture! It's tiny and very aged as you can imagine, but still shows every bit of who he was. So smart in his suit and waistcoat, with his pocket watch chain on display. Alongside it, his hat and veil are pretty big. The hat is 36’ in circumference and resembles a train driver's hat, while the veil reminded me of a welder’s face visor. The Hospital register detailed the date Joseph was signed in to the Hospital. The original newspaper cutting asking for donations was there, as well as Sir Fredrick Treves article, ‘A Case of Congenital Deformity’. There's a signed photograph of Treves, looking very stern next to the card church. It’s tiny! I was expecting quite a large model. I realise it was a card kit, but it’s been put together so well, it looks as if it were made by a professional craftsman. Above the Church is Joseph's letter to Mrs Maturin. It’s also very small, but very readable. There were pictures of the hospital wards, period nurses’ uniforms, and even some medical tools . I think it’s safe to say, that medical science has come a long way since! I bought postcards and booklets. There are a lot of items that I wouldn’t have found anywhere else, so I say it was money well spent. I also made a donation to the Museum. There isn’t an admission fee but I think most people would be happy to make a donation.
MY VISIT TO LONDON PART II by Alice Townes I went from there to the shop where Joseph worked as the Elephant Man. It's now a Saree shop I felt almost more sensitive being there than standing in front of his hat and veil. Just knowing he had stood there, looked at by hundreds of people gave me the chills.
From Whitechapel, I went on to Liverpool Street Station. It's beautiful and very grand, a familiar location from the film. So it was doubly cool to be there and to actually look at that glass ceiling and magnificent structure.
From there I went on to London Bridge and Clink Street, a cobbled road with tiny Victorian houses and arches. This street was also a location for the film and I could see why, as it’s pretty much untouched.
I walked to Drury Lane. It’s a very long walk and I definitely underestimated it. There I saw The Theatre Royal where Joseph attended “Puss in Boots” They were closed, so I took pictures of the outside. I was a little disappointed, but it was still worth it.
I went to The Hampstead Theatre where the "Eephant Man" play premiered in 1977. I'm not sure whether it was the original building. It didn’t really feel historical at all.
At the Victoria and Albert Museum, I saw paintings and sculptures, fashions, and ceramics. There were paintings of the Royal Family, clothes, furniture and many lovely things.
I am very fortunate to live only 40 minute s from London by train. Even if I weren't so close, I can say it was a wonderful experience. Don't even hesitate to visit. I've seen London a thousand times, as I was also born there, but this time I saw it as a school, full of history and knowledge. London is a Fabulous City!!!
I’d like to thank Jeanette Sitton and Mae Siu Wai Stroshane for giving me this incredible opportunity to share my experience with all of you. And I’d like to thank our special friend Joseph for being such a massive inspiration.
Mae, thank you for posting Alice's account of her trip to London and the Royal London Hospital. It's very well written and is a most welcomed contribution.
Changing Images of Joseph Merrick
ReplyDeletean essay by Mae
What image comes to mind when you hear the words, “Elephant Man?” Even if you haven’t seen the 1980 movie by David Lynch, the very words conjure up images of sideshows, circuses, a monster that is half-human, half-animal. The name has an indelible ring that implies something abnormal. Yet over a century ago, the name was borne by a small, gentle, literate man who, by all accounts, cherished poetry, the Bible, and beauty in all its forms.
How did Joseph Carey Merrick come to be viewed as, a symbol of something bestial and ugly beyond compare? For over a century he has captured our imaginations, even as the known facts of his life recede into the past. Until thirty years after his death, Joseph was mainly known as a bizarre specimen within the dusty pages of nineteenth-century medical journals. No doubt he would have remained there, had not the noted surgeon, Frederick Treves, chosen to feature him in his final book, “The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences,” (Cassell, 1923.)
Joseph himself actually was the first to create the legend of The Elephant Man. Desperate to escape the workhouse, he signed on as with a traveling sideshow. It was easy to find a show name, having heard the story of his mother’s accident with an elephant, all his life. His various features – the heavy folds of skin, large bumpy forehead, and ponderous feet, called to mind an elephant. Hence, “The Elephant Man, Half-A-Man, Half-An-Elephant” was born. Until he was robbed by an unscrupulous manager, he did well in his sideshow career and was proud to be earning his way in the world, independent of the English Poor Law workhouse and charity.
In his memoirs, however, Frederick Treves presented “John” Merrick, as he called him, as a humble, helpless object of pity, who needed to be rescued from exploitation as a ‘freak.’ It’s clear that Treves did save Joseph from starvation and probable death on the day Joseph returned to England from the Continent, desperate and destitute. The ambitious young surgeon was ahead of his time in seeing that, beyond food and shelter, his charge also needed friendship and stimulation. Treves initially hoped that the Elephant Man was ‘imbecile,” in the terms of those days, with no awareness of his dilemma.
As he began to understand Merrick’s impeded speech, however, Treves grew increasingly astonished by Joseph’s intellect and rich inner life. Isolated and forced to live mainly through his imagination, Joseph had formed complete worlds, peopled with impossibly beautiful women to be worshipped, and dashing heroes to emulate. He was intensely romantic and hungered for love, knowing it would be forever denied him.
During most of the four years Treves knew Joseph, he had trouble perceiving him as a full-fledged man. In his memoirs, Treves made a point of toning down that aspect of Joseph, emphasizing his more feminine traits, e.g. his love of fine clothes and imaginary primping with a dressing case. He described Merrick as “amiable as a happy woman.” Yet after Joseph lost his battle with the disorder that consumed him, Treves perceived him as a hero. He drew parallels with ‘Pilgrim’s Progress” to describe Joseph’s tortured journey, “ besplattered with the vile mud of Vanity Fair” until he ” gained with manly steps the farther shore.” His final tribute to Joseph, was the quote that opens this book, in which he describes him as an ‘upstanding man…whose eyes flashed undaunted courage.”
My name is Alice Townes and I’m a Student of Northbrook College of Brighton University England, UK. I am studying a BA in Theatre Arts Hair and Make Up Styling for Theatre and Media.
ReplyDeleteSo I decided on the character of Joseph Merrick, aka The Elephant
aspect. This has meant studying Joseph Merrick’s life, the play and the film. As a Make Up Artist, I have decided to recreate the famous picture of Joseph in his Sunday Best.
PART ONE My Trip to London
I arrived at Whitechapel Station. The Royal London Hospital was right there and it took my breath away. It’s very impressive and grand.
The hospital's name is written in big, shiny, gold letters, and is such an old building that you can imagine Joseph being there. I walked to the hospital garden and saw the statue of Queen Alexandra. She was the Princess of Wales when she befriended Joseph. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity.
I walked to St. Philip’s Chapel. It's beautiful! In the Museum, I saw straightaway Joseph’s memorabilia in a glass cabinet. I was quite overwhelmed. Every piece was meaningful.
I love Joseph's Sunday Best picture! It's tiny and very aged as you can imagine, but still shows every bit of who he was. So smart in his suit and waistcoat, with his pocket watch chain on display.
Alongside it, his hat and veil are pretty big. The hat is 36’ in circumference and resembles a train driver's hat, while the veil reminded me of a welder’s face visor.
The Hospital register detailed the date Joseph was signed in to the Hospital. The original newspaper cutting asking for donations was there, as well as Sir Fredrick Treves article, ‘A Case of Congenital Deformity’.
There's a signed photograph of Treves, looking very stern next to the card church. It’s tiny! I was expecting quite a large model. I realise it was a card kit, but it’s been put together so well, it looks as if it were made by a professional craftsman.
Above the Church is Joseph's letter to Mrs Maturin. It’s also very small, but very readable.
There were pictures of the hospital wards, period nurses’ uniforms, and even some medical tools . I think it’s safe to say, that medical science has come a long way since!
I bought postcards and booklets. There are a lot of items that I wouldn’t have found anywhere else, so I say it was money well spent. I also made a donation to the Museum. There isn’t an admission fee but I think most people would be happy to make a donation.
MY VISIT TO LONDON PART II
ReplyDeleteby Alice Townes
I went from there to the shop where Joseph worked as the Elephant Man. It's now a Saree shop I felt almost more sensitive being there than standing in front of his hat and veil. Just knowing he had stood there, looked at by hundreds of people gave me the chills.
From Whitechapel, I went on to Liverpool Street Station. It's beautiful and very grand, a familiar location from the film. So it was doubly cool to be there and to actually look at that glass ceiling and magnificent structure.
From there I went on to London Bridge and Clink Street, a cobbled road with tiny Victorian houses and arches. This street was also a location for the film and I could see why, as it’s pretty much untouched.
I walked to Drury Lane. It’s a very long walk and I definitely underestimated it. There I saw The Theatre Royal where Joseph attended “Puss in Boots” They were closed, so I took pictures of the outside. I was a little disappointed, but it was still worth it.
I went to The Hampstead Theatre where the "Eephant Man" play premiered in 1977. I'm not sure whether it was the original building. It didn’t really feel historical at all.
At the Victoria and Albert Museum, I saw paintings and sculptures, fashions, and ceramics. There were paintings of the Royal Family, clothes, furniture and many lovely things.
I am very fortunate to live only 40 minute s from London by train. Even if I weren't so close, I can say it was a wonderful experience. Don't even hesitate to visit. I've seen London a thousand times, as I was also born there, but this time I saw it as a school, full of history and knowledge. London is a Fabulous City!!!
I’d like to thank Jeanette Sitton and Mae Siu Wai Stroshane for giving me this incredible opportunity to share my experience with all of you. And I’d like to thank our special friend Joseph for being such a massive inspiration.
Thank You for reading!!
Alice Townes
Mae, I just wanted to say your essay is extremely well written and well researched. It a very valuable adddition to this Blog. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMae, thank you for posting Alice's account of her trip to London and the Royal London Hospital. It's very well written and is a most welcomed contribution.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeanette. My pleasure!
ReplyDelete