These Vintage Photos Of Circus Performers Will Give Anyone The Shivers

It's unbelievable to think of a time when people with birth defects and deformities were treated as "freaks" and exploited as main attractions traveling with the local circus from town to town. These images will take you back to a time where sideshow circus performers were prominent, and they'll definitely give you the shivers. The interesting thing is that a lot of these real-life people were the main source of inspiration for 'American Horror Story's' second season.

1. Alice E. Doherty, also known on stage as "The Minnesota Woolly Baby":

2. Unzie The Albino:

3. Isaac W. Sprague, also known as "The Living Skeleton":

4. A performer with massive feet and another with no arms:

5. Pip and Flip: The Twins from Yucatan:

6. Koo Koo The Bird Girl:

7. The Legless Acrobat and his family posing for a picture:

8. The human pincushion:

9. This young man who Ectrodactyly, which is a deformation of the hands into what looks like lobster claws:

10. Two-headed man:

11. The four-legged woman:

12. Ella Harper who was also known as "camel girl":

13. Lucia Zarate was the smallest person who ever lived. She was 18 years of age and weighed a mere 4 pounds:

14. A bearded woman named Annie Jones:

15. John Jennings who went by the name of "The Modern Samson":

16. Sideshow boxers: