At the age of eighteen, de Barcsy gave birth to her only son, Nicu.[1] Two weeks later, she began to grow a beard, a development which her doctor initially concealed from her.[2]
Around 1890, de Barcsy's husband, Antonio, became impoverished, and the family began performing in Western Europe as a traveling troupe. Sidonia was advertised as a bearded lady; Nicu, who would reach an adult height of less than a meter, was displayed as "The smallest Perfect Man on Earth"; and Antonio performed as a strongman.[1]
In 1903, the family troupe emigrated to the United States.[1] There they performed with a number of shows,[3] including the Hagenbeck-Wallace and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses.[1] Antonio began to perform as a stage magician, and Nicu as an escape artist.[2]
After Antonio's death in 1912, de Barcsy married Frederick Valentine Tischer, a trick roper. Tischer's gambling drove the family into debt, and de Barcsy signed on with the Campbell Brothers Circus to pay it off.[1] This brought them to Drummond, Oklahoma, where they settled permanently.[4] Tischer eventually abandoned de Barcsy, who died on 19 October 1925.[1]
