A sideshow at the Rutland Fair, Rutland, Vermont

The Rutland State Fair in Rutland, Vermont, renamed the Vermont State Fair in 1972, is one of the oldest state fairs started in 1846. In 1941, Farm Security Administration photographer Jack Delano documented the festivities at the fair in Rutland with some photographs few rolls in color.

It is believed that such performances first appeared in England in the 17th century and were particularly popular in Britain during the Victorian era. Medical ethics did not exist at that time, and various "human curiosities" were seen as strange phenomena, surprising and threatening at the same time. Sideshows first appeared in the United States in the late eighteenth century, and they became enormously popular in this country from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. The Barnum and Bailey Circus was one of the first regular events of its kind in the United States in the mid-19th century. Sideshows, including "freak shows," were a common element of carnivals and fairs in America, and still had a place in Great Britain in the early 20th century, though they were much less common in other European countries. The popularity of sideshows in Europe virtually disappeared after World War II, while in the United States it declined with the mass introduction of television in the second half of the 1960s. In addition, since the mid-20th century, many Western countries have passed special laws prohibiting performances for money or involving people with physical disabilities, despite the protests of some "freak artists" for whom these performances were a means of livelihood. Another reason for the decline in popularity and availability of such performances was a change in societal values — whereas "freaks" were once considered fascinating and mysterious, in the second half of the 20th century a fundamentally different, ethical and compassionate attitude towards such people was promoted in society, with an unacceptable view of physical disabilities as "fascinating curiosities". Nevertheless, several "freak shows" still exist in the United States.

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