Alice Elizabeth Doherty
Alice Doherty | |
|---|---|
 Doherty as a child | |
| Born | Alice Elizabeth Doherty March 14, 1887 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 1933 (aged 46) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Other name | "The Minnesota Woolly Girl" |
Alice Elizabeth Doherty (March 14, 1887 – June 13, 1933) was an American woman born with the condition hypertrichosis lanuginosa.[1][2][3][4]
Early life
[edit]Alice Elizabeth Doherty was born on March 14, 1887, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her parents were not affected by the condition for which she later became known, and she had a brother and a sister who likewise did not exhibit similar characteristics.[1]
At birth, Doherty was covered with approximately 2 inches (5.1 cm) of silky blond hair over her body, a characteristic of the rare condition hypertrichosis lanuginosa.[5][1]
Contemporary newspaper accounts described Doherty as an intelligent and energetic child with blue eyes and a playful disposition. One report published when she was two years old characterized her as "as bright as a silver dollar" and "as frolicsome as a kitten". The same account noted that she had not yet developed teeth and speculated that she might never do so.[1]
Exhibition
[edit]
Doherty was exhibited by her parents as a sideshow attraction from as early as the age of two. Later she was presented commercially by her mother and Professor Weller's One-Man Band throughout the Midwestern United States. She was consistently shown as a standalone exhibit in store front exhibitions. By the time she was five years old, her hair grew to about 5 inches (130 mm), eventually increasing to about 9 inches (230 mm) by the time she was a teenager. Doherty was never interested in entertainment, but continued to perform to support her family, anxiously awaiting retirement.[1]
Death
[edit]Doherty retired from the entertainment business in 1915 and died of bronchial pneumonia in Dallas, Texas, on June 13, 1933, aged 46.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Sideshow World, Sideshow Performers from around the world". Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "Alice Doherty - The Minnesota Woolly Girl". Circus Freaks and Human Oddities. 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "Alice Doherty | Show History". showhistory.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
- ^ "Prodigies by James G. Mundie - Symphony in Hair, No. 1: The Minnesota Woolly Girl". Missioncreep.com. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Alice Doherty – The Minnesota Woolly Girl". Circus Freaks and Human Oddities. 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ Death certificate, Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. Elizabeth Alice Doherty, 26960. June 13, 1933. Rec'd June 17, 1933.