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Sep 7, 2023 · In the early 20th century, a captivating yet heart-wrenching story unfolded, centered around two albino African-American brothers, George and Willie Muse. Their lives took a dramatic turn when they were plucked from a Virginia farm and thrust into the bright lights of the circus world.
Jul 10, 2018 · The two brothers were kidnapped as boys in Truevine, Virginia, in 1899 by bounty hunters and forced into the circus. Upon their capture, they were falsely told that their mother was dead and...
- How George and Willie Muse Were Abducted by The Circus
- Forced to Perform as ‘Eko and Iko’
- The Muse Brothers Return to Truevine
- Justice For The ‘Ambassadors from Mars’
George and Willie Muse were the eldest of five children born to Harriett Muse in the small community of Truevine on the edge of Roanoke, Virginia. Against almost impossible odds, both boys were born with albinism, leaving their skin exceptionally vulnerable to the harsh Virginia sun. Both also had a condition known as nystagmus, which often accompa...
In the early 20th century, the circus was a major form of entertainment for most of America. Sideshows, “freak shows,” or demonstrations of unusual skills like sword swallowing, cropped up on roadsides all over the country. Candy Shelton realized that in an era when disabilities were treated as curiosities and Black people had little to no rights t...
In 1922, Shelton took the Muse brothers to the Ringling Bros. Circus, drawn by a better offer. Shelton shaped their blond hair into outlandish locks that shot out of the tops of their heads, dressed them in colorful, strange garments, and claimed they’d been found in the wreckage of a spaceship in the Mojave Desert. On Oct. 14, 1927, George and Wil...
Candy Shelton didn’t give up the Muse brothers so easily, but neither did Harriett Muse. Ringling sued the Muses, claiming that they’d deprived the circus of two valuable earners with legally binding contracts. But Harriett Muse shot back with the help of a local lawyer and won a series of lawsuits confirming her sons’ right to payment and visits h...
Oct 18, 2016 · Journalist Beth Macy talks about George and Willie Muse, black albino brothers who were born in the Jim Crow South and were forced to become circus freaks. Her new book, Truevine, retells their...
Oct 22, 2016 · Their white skin and black features gave them an exotic appearance that the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s “Greatest Show on Earth” exploited by having them pretend to be cannibals ...
May 4, 2023 · George Muse passed away from heart failure in 1972, while Willie lived on until 2001, when he died at the age of 108. George and Willie Muse were two brothers whose lives took a drastic turn when they were kidnapped and forced to become part of a circus show.
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#1 The Muse brothers: Willie (left) and George with showman Al G Barnes, 1918-22. 0 Points. #2 A 1924 “class photograph” of sideshow acts in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. George Muse is third from left, upper row; Willie is third from right. 0 Points. #3 Eko and Iko in a promotional photo. 0 Points.
