Sometime around 1870, Ella Harper was born in Hendersonville, Tennesee. Ella was born with an orthopedic case where her knees pointed the wrong way, resulting in her preference to walk on all fours and being nicknamed the camel girl.
Fortunately, this disorder is incredibly rare, but there are also other cases of varying severity.
When Ella was about 12 years old, she ended up in a circus and became the star attraction there. At 16, she had had enough of life in the circus, and with a weekly salary of 200 dollars(!), many opportunities opened up for the young woman.
There are few potential traces of Ella Harper after her life as a circus curiosity was over. A marriage certificate (1905) and a death certificate (1921) have been found for an Ella Harper in Tennesee, but it is highly uncertain whether this is the same Ella Harper.
Source: www.thehumanmarvels.com
