Chang & Eng, Siamese Twins
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Chang and Eng were twin brothers born in 1811 in a Siamese village (in what is now known as Thailand). The term “Siamese Twins” originated with them. They grew their fishing and small business into profitable enterprises. A British and American duo contracted with the brothers’ parents to have them leave their home. Beginning in 1829, the twins performed extensively in the United States and Europe in “freak shows” and spectacles that attracted audiences and scientists. In 1839, the twins ended their time on display and settled in North Carolina. They became citizens, farmed, voted, converted to Christianity, and owned both land and enslaved persons. In 1843, they married sisters Adelaide and Sallie Yates of Trap Hill, North Carolina, where they challenged local conventions about how families and marriages could be defined. The Civil War ruined their finances and the twins took up performing once again, this time highlighting their large family. The twin brothers died at the age of 62, leaving behind their wives and several children. Their descendants live throughout the United States and are estimated to number between 1,500 and 1,800 persons.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Circus
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Photographic History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PG.74.25.40
label: catalog number
content: 74.25.40
label: accession number
content: 2009.0146
objectType: label: Object Name
content: carte-de-visite
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 10.3 cm x 6.1 cm; 4 1/16 in x 2 13/32 in