George Lippert
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George Lippert (1844,
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
– July 1906,
Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...
), was born with three legs and, as was discovered during his autopsy, two hearts. He worked as a curiosity for nearly 50 years, many of them for
P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...
. Although he claimed that his third leg was fully functional until it was fractured in an accident, this has not been firmly established. In 1898, he began facing competition from a three-legged boy, Sicilian-born
Frank Lentini Francesco "Frank" Lentini (May 18, 1889 − September 21, 1966) was an Italian-American sideshow performer who toured with numerous circuses. Born with a parasitic twin, Lentini had three legs. Early life Lentini was born at 8 Gintoli Street, Ros ...
, who was touring with the
Ringling Brothers Circus Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows is a circus founded in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling brothers: Albert, August, Otto, Alfred T., Charles, John, and Henry. The Ringling brothers were sons of a Germa ...
. By 1899 he was penniless, but found a benefactor in a florist named Mary Riggs, with whom he lived in his final years.Biography
@ Human Marvels
He died of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
in 1906. The Ronald G. Becker Collection of
Charles Eisenmann Charles Eisenmann (October 5, 1855 – December 8, 1927) was a famous New York photographer during the late 1880s who worked in the Bowery district. Eisenmann's photography was sold in the form of Cabinet cards, popular in this era, availabl ...
Photographs, held by
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
, includes a photograph of a painting titled "George Lippert three legged man".


References

1844 births 1906 deaths People with supernumerary body parts Sideshow performers {{US-bio-stub