Sideshow by Gary Rosenbaum
Joined at Birth....Acrylic on canvas, approximately 6' square • $2000.
Joined at Birth....Acrylic on canvas, approximately 6' square • $2000.
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The story of Christina and Regina is painted on the banner in full. It's too small to read here, so scroll down the page to read the story.
Separated at Birth
When their twin daughters were born, Giuseppe "Doc" Spinelli, the owner of the Spinelli Family Carnival & his wife, Delores, the Tattooed Girl, knew that the girls would be joining the family in their Ten-in-One sideshow. They started when they were 6—old enough to stand still for the show and still young enough to enjoy the attention. Their banner was raised with the others, fronting the tent tops—"Christina and Regina, Joined at Birth, Alive!" Doc ordered their image painted so that they appeared to be about 10 years old, so that they could "grow into it." Delores had the same idea when she bought their dresses a little too large and, with needle and thread, conjoined them as one at the waist.
At 13 they had grown into and then out of their latest stage dress. They were uncomfortable with the snugness, but the childish style of the dress chafed them more. Their physical discontent added to the tension between them one evening as they struggled outside the tent onto the bally platform, below the fading banner and above the gathering Tip, the potential customers. The fire-eater juggled with flaming wands while the Talker made wild promises of the wonders to be found within. When they stepped into the light, they heard a few whistles from below. Christina loved it, but Regina hated it, suspecting that it was started by one of her father’s shills. She hated the manipulation, she hated the gawking, she hated the entwined smells of sawdust, sweat and cotton candy. Regina wanted to quit the show and go live with their Aunt Monty (formerly, Madame Montana, Fortune Teller) in New York City. Christina continued to try to convince her that carny life was the only life they could have. They renewed the ongoing argument. Their voices rose, but no one heard them over the Talker, the mob, and the protesters.
A group of Ladies from a local church were there to condemn the carnival and the influx of foreign influence, in general, and the Girly show and the gambling, in particular (had they known the extent of the grift, they would have realized that no "gambling" was taking place).
Christina and Regina's fight grew hotter and louder. Just as the Talker turned his attention and so, the crowd's, to the girls, and all saw what was happening, everyone—Talker, Tip, and Ladies—stopped—silenced for a breath. In that moment, Regina shouted, "I'm done with you!" and jerked away sharply from her sister, tearing loose the hand stitched union of their dresses. She ran down the steps, leaving Christina standing alone, crying in her torn dress, the crowd stunned, and the church Ladies convinced that they had witnessed a miracle.
At 13 they had grown into and then out of their latest stage dress. They were uncomfortable with the snugness, but the childish style of the dress chafed them more. Their physical discontent added to the tension between them one evening as they struggled outside the tent onto the bally platform, below the fading banner and above the gathering Tip, the potential customers. The fire-eater juggled with flaming wands while the Talker made wild promises of the wonders to be found within. When they stepped into the light, they heard a few whistles from below. Christina loved it, but Regina hated it, suspecting that it was started by one of her father’s shills. She hated the manipulation, she hated the gawking, she hated the entwined smells of sawdust, sweat and cotton candy. Regina wanted to quit the show and go live with their Aunt Monty (formerly, Madame Montana, Fortune Teller) in New York City. Christina continued to try to convince her that carny life was the only life they could have. They renewed the ongoing argument. Their voices rose, but no one heard them over the Talker, the mob, and the protesters.
A group of Ladies from a local church were there to condemn the carnival and the influx of foreign influence, in general, and the Girly show and the gambling, in particular (had they known the extent of the grift, they would have realized that no "gambling" was taking place).
Christina and Regina's fight grew hotter and louder. Just as the Talker turned his attention and so, the crowd's, to the girls, and all saw what was happening, everyone—Talker, Tip, and Ladies—stopped—silenced for a breath. In that moment, Regina shouted, "I'm done with you!" and jerked away sharply from her sister, tearing loose the hand stitched union of their dresses. She ran down the steps, leaving Christina standing alone, crying in her torn dress, the crowd stunned, and the church Ladies convinced that they had witnessed a miracle.