Ella Harper (January 5, 1870 – December 19, 1921),[1] known professionally as The Camel Girl,[2] was born with an extremely rare orthopedic condition that caused her knees to bend backwards, called congenital genu recurvatum. Her preference to walk on all fours resulted in her nickname "Camel Girl". In 1886 she was featured as the star in W. H. Harris's Nickel Plate Circus, appearing in newspapers wherever the circus visited. The back of her pitch card reads:
Ella Harper | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Harper in 1886 | |
| Born | Ella Harper 5 January 1870 |
| Died | 19 December 1921 (aged 51) |
| Resting place | Spring Hill Cemetery 36°14′13.8″N 86°43′26″W / 36.237167°N 86.72389°W |
| Occupation | Circus performer |
| Years active | 1882–1886 |
| Spouse | Robert L. Savely (1905) |
| Parent(s) | William Harper and Minerva Childress |
I am called the camel girl because my knees turn backward. I can walk best on my hands and feet as you see me in the picture. I have traveled considerably in the show business for the past four years and now, this is 1886 and I intend to quit the show business and go to school and fit myself for another occupation.[3][4]
Harper received a $200 per week salary for her appearances (equivalent to $6,800 in 2023). The money she earned via this role likely afforded her opportunities in life she may not otherwise have had.[2]
Harper married a schoolteacher named Robert Savely in 1905; she died in 1921 at the age of fifty-one. She is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Ray Mullins (18 April 2015). "Finding Ella (my search for The Camel Girl)". Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ a b Pednaud, J. Tithonu (8 May 2006). "The Human Marvels". thehumanmarvels.com. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ Anderson, Elizabeth J. "Ella Harper - The Camel Girl". phreeque.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ Harper, Ella (1886-11-19), Ella Harper's 1886 Nickel Plate Circus Pitch Card, United States
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
edit
 | This United States biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This disability-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |