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Ella Harper (January 5, 1870 – December 19, 1921), known professionally as The Camel Girl,
was born with a very rare orthopedic condition that caused her knees to bend backwards, called ''congenital
Ella Harper (January 5, 1870 – December 19, 1921), known professionally as The Camel Girl,
was born with a very rare orthopedic condition that caused her knees to bend backwards, called ''congenital genu recurvatum
Genu recurvatum is a deformity in the knee joint, so that the knee bends backwards. In this deformity, excessive extension occurs in the tibiofemoral joint. Genu recurvatum is also called knee hyperextension and back knee. This deformity is mor ...
''. Her preference to walk on all fours resulted in her nickname "Camel Girl". In 1886 she was featured as the star in W. H. Harris's Nickel Plate Circus, appearing in newspapers wherever the circus visited. The back of her pitch card reads:
Harper received a $200 per week salary that likely opened new doors for her.
She is buried in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
's Spring Hill Cemetery.
References
External links
* 1870 births American people with disabilities 1921 deaths Deaths from colorectal cancer Sideshow performers Burials in Tennessee {{disability-stub