Claude-Ambroise Seurat
French sideshow performer known for being extremely thin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Claude-Ambroise Seurat (10 April 1797[1] or 4 April 1798[2] – after 1833[2]) was a freak show attraction from Troyes, France. He was known as "the anatomical man or the living skeleton" (French: l'homme anatomique ou le squelette vivant) due to his extraordinarily low body weight.[4][5][6]
Claude-Ambroise Seurat | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Variously listed as: 10 April 1797[1] 4 April 1798[2] Troyes, France |
| Died | after 1833[2] |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation | Freak show attraction |
| Known for | being extraordinarily underweight |
| Height | Variously given as: |
Life
The date of Seurat's birth is uncertain, being variously reported as either 10 April 1797[1] or 4 April 1798.[2] Seurat's tours across Europe aroused controversy and because of the publicity, there was extensive interest in his life,[1] particularly from the medical establishment.[7] An account, for instance, cited that Seurat was born healthy and was normal like other children except for his depressed chest.[1]
By age 14, his health dwindled so that his frame already became skeletal in form.[1] When he visited London for a tour in 1825,[1] Seurat was described as having normal height, being between 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] and 5 ft 71⁄2 in (1.71 m),[3] but with an emaciated body; at the time, he weighed 78 pounds (35.4 kg).[1] His upper arm circumference was 4 inches (10 cm) and his waist measured less than 24 inches (61 cm) around, while his neck was short, flat, and broad.[3]
Later, in 1832, he was stated to have weighed 43 French pounds and was 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) tall.[2] Seurat's last recorded performance was in 1833 at Dinan in Brittany.[2]
Seurat was also the subject of an anatomical drawing of Francisco Goya after the Spanish painter met him in 1826 at a circus in Bordeaux.
The date of Seurat's death is unknown. In 1868, Gilbert Richard Redgrave commented: "I have not yet been able to ascertain the date of his death. Who knows whether the poor fellow may not still be going the round of the French fairs?"[2]
After his death it was discovered that a tapeworm had been depriving Seurat of nutrition.[8]
