Lady Olga

Can you give me any information on Jane Barnell, (the Bearded Lady) - Sideshow Fan

Lady Olga, the Bearded Lady as she was know on stage, was born Jane Barnell in 1874 in North Carolina.  Jane was the only one of her three siblings to have been born with excessive hair.  Her father traveled quite often for business and her mother would take her to see the circus while he was away.  On a visit to The Great Orient Family Circus Jane’s mother abandoned her, and the people in the circus took her in.  

Jane had a very close relationship with her father.  When he returned home from his business trip and found that his wife had left Jane with the circus he became frantic and started searching for her.

The Great Orient Family Circus had left for Europe though.  While on tour Jane became ill and was
hospitalized. After she recovered she found she was once again abandoned, this time by the Circus people that had taken her in, and was left to live in an orphanage.  Her father was finally successful in locating her and brought her home to live on a family farm in North Carolina. While on the farm she began shaving in an attempt to fit in with her peers and live a normal life.

A neighbor, who worked as a strongman during the circus season, persuaded Jane to stop shaving and return to the circus where she could make a good living. Taking his advice Jane began growing her moustache and beard again, which has been reported to have grown to over thirteen inches long,  so she could return to a life in the circus.

When Jane re-entered the world of the circus she joined the John Robinson Circus.  After working for the John Robinson Circus Jane also went on to work for such noted circuses as Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey, Forepaugh-Sells, Hagenbeck-Wallace, and Royal American Shows.  Her career spanned some sixty five plus years.  It has been said that she had a longer career in the circus sideshow than any other woman performer in history.  During her long run with the circus sideshow she was also known as Princess Olga,  Madame Olga, and Lady Olga Roderick.

Many people remember Jane for her performance in Tod Browning's movie Freaks, which was released in 1932.  She appeared with such notable sideshow performers as Johnny Eck, Schlitze, Daisy and Violet Hilton, Josephine Joseph and many other fine performers of that era. - John Robinson Sideshow World