Voting Station

Joice Heth

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Slave

The Resume

Why she might be annoying:

    Little is known about her pre-Barnum life.
    An autopsy indicated that she was only about 80 years old, half her claimed age.
    Barnum responded by declaring that the autopsy had been performed on an impostor and the real Heth was still alive and on tour in Europe.
    She was almost as dried up and wrinkly as Barnum's next success, the Fiji Mermaid.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She brought in a then-hefty $1,500 a week and launched Barnum's career as a showman.
    At the time of her exhibition, she was blind and nearly completely paralyzed.
    When interest in her slacked off, Barnum planted a story in the press claiming that she was not a person at all but an automaton constructed from 'whalebone, India rubber and springs.'
    There was soon a booming repeat business as customers came back to see for themselves if they had been fooled the first time.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 68 Votes: 52.94% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 16 Votes: 56.25% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 21 Votes: 80.95% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 30 Votes: 63.33% Annoying