Windows on other worlds: The rise and fall of sideshow alley

Abstract

This article explores the world of Sideshow Alley, which emerged from the ancient fair culture of Britain and took root in the agricultural show movement of Australia by the 1880s. There it flourished until the 1950s, when modernity and respectability caused its demise. The article also argues that Sideshow Alley was a place of power that helped to shape the identities of many Australians through the display of difference and that it also provided a site of agency for those displaying themselves.