Chang and Eng (Conjoined Twins) | They have a strong passion for fishing

Chang and Eng (Conjoined Twins)

Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly…The World-Renowned Siamese Twins Accompanied by Their Children…London: J.W. Last, 1869

Broadside (570 x 290 mm). Printed in red and black, central image of Chang and Eng with four vignettes of the twins undertaking tasks such as shooting and fishing; backed with paper, some faint browning, closed tears repaired, a few marginal chips and repairs. Matted, framed, and glazed with Plexiglas; not examined out of frame.  

"These wonderful living curiosities, Who have so long excited the wonder and astonishment of the world…"

"Chang and Eng, born in 1811 outside Bangkok, became the eponymous Siamese Twins and selected North Carolina as their base … . They were not only endlessly displayed but also immortalized in the literature of the day, mentioned by Melville, Twain, and a host of lesser luminaries. Chang and Eng were first shown in America and then in England in 1829. Early in their career the title page of an autobiographical pamphlet sold at their exhibition featured a cut of an American bald eagle with the motto, 'E Pluribus Unum,' united we stand. But stories of their impending separation dogged their career. By the 1860s the increasingly inebriated Chang and his teetotaling brother so disliked each other that they spoke of little else. Even this playbill mentions their imminent division, perhaps reflecting both genuine desire and a ploy designed to attract customers" (EE, p. 146).  

REFERENCE:

Exemplars, p. 228; EE, pp. 146-7