The Tragic Story Of Mary Ann Bevan, The ‘Ugliest Woman In The World’

Mary Ann Bevan, a stunning Englishwoman who was diagnosed with acromegaly in the early 20th century, was compelled to work in sideshows and circuses in order to support her family.

It wasn't always said of Mary Ann Bevan, who was born in the late 19th century on the outskirts of London, that she was "ugly." She was even regarded as charming when she was a young girl.

That all changed when she was well into adulthood and after having children more than once when she was diagnosed with a rare disfiguring disease.

Despite the fact that after a short while her hands, feet, and features were entirely changed, Bevan used her looks to make a living.

This is the story of Mary Ann Bevan, one of the most tragic figures in the once-thriving sideshow industry, and how she came to be known as the Ugliest Woman in the World in order to provide for her family.

Mary Ann Webster was born on December 20, 1874, to a large family outside of London. 

She had a similar upbringing to her siblings, and in 1894, she obtained her nursing license. 

She wed Kent County farmer Thomas Bevan in 1903.

She began to show signs of acromegaly, a disorder in which the pituitary glands overproduce growth hormones, not long after her husband's death.

Acromegaly, one of the more uncommon pituitary diseases, is now treatable if detected in time.

However, due to the limitations of early 20th-century medicine, Bevan had no means to treat or prevent the disease, and she soon realized that her features had completely transformed.

Bevan's disease caused her apparently normal hands and feet to grow out of all proportion, her lower jaw to stretch, and her nose to clearly enlarge.

She struggled to find and hold a job due to her changing appearance, so she started working odd jobs to help support her family.

The uncommon illness changed her for good. Years later, a former fairgrounds employee alleged that the farmer who hired her was the one who informed Bevan that "all [she was] fit for [was] the ugly woman competition."

Bevan heeded the farmer's counsel and entered the "Homeliest Woman" contest right away, effortlessly defeating 250 other women to take home the prestigious title.

She made the decision to take advantage of the attention her victory had received from sideshow operators in order to support her children because she had been told by her doctor that her condition would only grow worse.

As part of a traveling carnival, she quickly had steady work performing at fairgrounds all throughout the British Isles.

Bevan answered the "Wanted: Ugliest Woman" ad in a London newspaper in 1920. Nothing repulsive, disfigured, or ugly. Good pay and protracted employment are assured for the chosen candidate.

She had "the face of an ugly woman that was not unpleasant," which may seem paradoxical, according to a British representative for Barnum and Bailey's circus, who had placed the ad.

After mailing the agency a photograph made specifically for the occasion, Bevan received an invitation to perform in the sideshow at Coney Island's Dreamland amusement park, which at the time was one of the largest venues in the world for sideshow artists.

Senator William H. Reynolds and promoter Samuel W. Gumpertz, who is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in sideshow history and eventually worked with Harry Houdini, came up with the concept for the attraction.

Other well-known sideshow performers including Zip the "Pinhead," Jean Carroll, the Tattooed Lady, and Lionel, the Lion-Faced Man, were also paraded with her. 

Her size 11 feet and size 25 hands were on display for all Dreamland guests to see, along with the 154 pounds she carried on her 5' 7" body.

Bevan endured the humiliating treatment with dignity.

She "smiled mechanically, offered postcards of herself for sale," making enough cash for her own schooling as well as the education of her children.

As the years passed, Mary Ann Bevan continued to draw large crowds and even began performing with the renowned Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show.

She made $25431 (£20,000) in just two years of performing in New York, or nearly $1.6 million in 2022.

She was able to support her family, which was another accomplishment.

Bevan had acquaintances and connections with those outside of the sideshow crowd. While she was playing at Madison Square Garden in 1929, she started dating Andrew, a giraffe keeper.

She even agreed to a makeover at a New York beauty parlor, have her hair straightened, get a manicure, and get a massage. They also covered her face in cosmetics.

When Mary Ann herself caught a glimpse of herself, she calmly remarked, "I guess I'll be getting back to work." 

According to some unkind people, "the rouge and powder and the rest were as out of place on Mary Ann's countenance as lace curtains on the portholes of a dreadnought."

Bevan spent the rest of her life working at Coney Island and passed there on December 26, 1933, at the age of 59. 

She was flown back to her home country for her funeral after being interred in Southeast London's Brockley and Ladywell Cemetery.

Before her face was mockingly depicted on a Hallmark card in the early 2000s, Mary Ann Bevan was a forgotten character known only to specialists in sideshow history for many years.

After worries were voiced about further humiliating her, the card was taken away.