A Mile In Her Shoes
The late 1800s were a strange and often hostile time for those born noticeably different, and it didn’t help that most had to do anything they could to provide for themselves. Born with a condition that caused her legs and feet to grow to an abnormal size, Fanny Mills had two choices: She could either live out her life at home while others came to gawk at her, or set out to make a name for herself—in which case, she could at least charge them.
1. They Moved Away
Likely born in 1860, Fanny Mills spent much of her life feeling outside of the norm, and others certainly had no problem reinforcing that feeling. However, even in the beginning, there was a point where she undoubtedly felt like an outsider, regardless of any physical abnormalities. When she was still only a small child, her family picked up everything and moved from their home in Sussex, England, across the ocean to Sandusky, Ohio.
However, she soon began to show just how different she was.
2. She Was The Only One
Sadly, although her family may have had a shared feeling of isolation when they first arrived in America, it wouldn’t be long before Fanny felt different from even them. As she grew up with two sisters, her parents quickly realized that while her siblings seemed to have no complications, a shocking condition presented itself in Fanny.
This drew endless questions and speculations, but Fanny received no concrete diagnosis. In reality, something complex and life-altering was happening.
3. Her System Wasn’t Working
Growing up in the late 1800s, doctors didn’t have the necessary research to diagnose Fanny’s disorder, but it has since become known as Milroy’s disease. The core of the issue comes from the body’s lymphatic system being unable to drain fluids properly. In most cases, including Fanny’s, this showed itself by causing her legs and feet to swell continuously during her early years.
While it seemed inexplicable at the time, nothing could be further from the truth.
4. She Got It From Someone Else
Today, scientists know this condition of swollen lower limbs that Fanny Mills experienced as lymphedema, but Milroy’s disease is one specific, hereditary form of it. Since medicine in her time hadn’t advanced enough even to diagnose her, it’s unclear whether she inherited the gene from her mother, Sarah, or her father, George.
Still, there’s a good chance one of them was more responsible than the other.
5. She Was Probably Responsible
Although Fanny would have had to inherit the Milroy’s disease gene from one of her parents, neither of them showed any signs of lymphedema—or so it seemed. It’s impossible to know for sure, but her mother most likely experienced a less-noticeable form of the disorder and passed it to Fanny, since it’s more commonly found in women than men.
Regardless, this condition truly made Fanny a unique individual—and not just in her time.
6. She Was One Of A Kind
Even with how uncommon lymphedema is as a condition, the disease Fanny Mills had the misfortune to suffer from was far rarer, and has made her case an even bigger curiosity. In fact, to this day, she remains one of the only 200 known cases of hereditary lymphedema in history.
Unfortunately, this only made her life more difficult from the very beginning.
7. She Had Trouble Moving
As her condition started to show from such an early age, Fanny never knew a life where lymphedema didn’t affect her day-to-day activities. According to several accounts, when she began to walk as a child, her family described it more as “wobbling,” and this difficulty persisted for the rest of her life. As her legs and feet only grew bigger, she eventually couldn’t walk at all without someone helping her.
While this part of her childhood is known, other details have become murky over the years.
8. She Had A Record
While several historical documents outline Fanny’s life from start to finish, some of the more specific details have disappeared over time, or simply due to poor record-keeping. When it comes to the exact year of her birth, there are vastly conflicting reports, especially since an official US census in 1880 notes her age as 14, which would make her birth year 1866.
However, there’s a good chance that this was nothing but a negligent lie.
9. They May Have Messed Up
According to sources, Fanny Mills had always appeared younger and smaller than she was—apart from the obvious—which may have been the cause of her mistaken age in America. It turns out that another census taken in 1861, while the family was still in England, marked Fanny as already born and about "eight and one half months" old, making her closer to 20 years old when the 1880 census was taken.
Still, these weren’t the only mysteries surrounding Fanny Mills.
10. They Had A Legend
Given the lack of medical knowledge surrounding Fanny’s condition and where it came from, her family had to reach their own conclusions, especially to answer the frequent questions from their neighbors. Bizarrely, her parents claimed that she was only born this way because when her mother was pregnant with her, George had made her wash a horse's swollen leg.
Although she didn’t know it, someone else was living a very similar life across the pond.
11. She Wasn’t The Only One
By the end of her life, Fanny Mills had long since given up any chance at a life of obscurity, but whatever fame she gained was quickly lost to time, unlike someone else back in England. While he didn’t suffer from lymphedema, the life of Joseph Merrick—otherwise known as The Elephant Man—shared more than a few similarities with the story of Fanny Mills.
Aside from their shared struggles, even their urban legends were similar.
12. They Also Told Stories
Although Fanny never met Joseph Merrick, they had more in common than either would ever know, right down to the explanation of their conditions. According to the legend, the reason for the physical abnormalities Merrick experienced was that while his mother was pregnant with him, she fell victim to an elephant attack in a freak incident. Obviously, neither his nor Fanny’s stories has any real basis.
Fortunately, Fanny learned to live with her condition in the modern world.
13. She Was Fashionable
Although Fanny Mills was living with something that constantly made her stand out, she still tried her best to appear otherwise in line with society at the time, which wasn’t always the easiest task. Her wardrobe especially became more challenging to accommodate, but thankfully, one fad was in her favor.
Wanting to cover up her swollen legs, she was lucky that long skirts had become popular, and she frequently wore them when she went out. Of course, she didn’t have the same luck with other clothing.
14. She Made Do With What She Had
Fanny’s family wasn’t completely destitute, but they couldn’t afford to have all of her clothing custom-made, so she had to find more creative alternatives. Since her feet had grown especially large by her 20s, it was nearly impossible to find socks to fit her, so she began using pillowcases instead.
Eventually, though, other accessories were more specifically tailored.
15. They Were Huge
Later in life, Fanny would have the resources to order a pair of specially made shoes created from the skin of three goats to cover her alleged size 30 feet. According to most sources—and not just those seeking to exaggerate her measurements for effect—her feet were reportedly 7 inches wide and 19 inches long.
Even beyond their measurements, the rest of her body made her feet look even larger.
16. She Was Much Smaller
While anyone who encountered her could easily see how swollen her legs and feet had become, another factor in their large appearance was that she was otherwise so tiny. Having always been someone of small stature, even when she grew up, she weighed around 115 pounds.
Furthermore, she has maintained her record to this day.
17. She Doesn’t Stack Up
It’s been over 100 years since Fanny Mills was alive, but even now, the size of her feet remains something truly unique in history. According to the Guinness Book of Records, even the current female record-holder for the world’s largest feet, Tanya Herbert, has a size that’s only a little over half of Fanny’s.
Of course, she and Fanny have one major difference.
18. They Didn't Have Her Unique Condition
Admittedly, Tanya Herbert doesn’t actually have the world’s largest feet today, since basketball player Jeison Rodriguez sports a whopping size 26 shoe. Still, neither of them holds a candle to Fanny’s record shoe size, especially since neither has any condition causing their abnormally large feet.
During Fanny’s time, though, not everyone was as respectful as the Guinness World Records writers.
19. She Got More Attention
News travels fast in a small town, and as Fanny Mills and her family learned all too quickly, outsiders' curiosity could be downright vile. Eventually, as more and more people became aware of Fanny’s condition, her story got the attention of larger news outlets, until even her father couldn’t keep all the reporters at bay.
Unfortunately, they weren’t exactly delicate with how they wrote about her.
20. They Were Brutally Honest
Back in Fanny’s time, journalists believed that spectacle was what really sold their stories, so they had to write in punchy, often harsh language—no matter who it might hurt. This was no different for those writing about Fanny, who described her condition in ruthlessly creative detail, with one reporter characterizing her feet as “two immense hams”.
Suddenly, more opportunistic people came knocking at the door.
21. They Made Proposals
With Fanny’s name broadcast out to the larger American population, soon enough, gossip and reporters were the least of her family’s worries. Suddenly, a string of showmen began rearing their heads, promising to make the family rich if they would allow Fanny to become an exhibit in one of their “Freak Shows”. Needless to say, this ended with her father sending them packing every time.
Sadly, the comfort of his protection wouldn’t last forever.
22. She Took Control Of Her Life
Fanny had obviously experienced hardship in her life, but she was in for possibly her worst heartache yet in 1885, when her father tragically passed. However, out of her grief, she made a decision that shocked everyone and changed her life forever. Although the rest of her family was staunchly against it, she decided that the showmen were right, and she should exhibit herself as an attraction at one of the Freak Shows.
Fortunately, she wasn’t heading out into the world on her own.
23. She Had A Helper
While Fanny Mills may have been ardently determined to defy her family’s wishes and make a name for herself on the Freak Show circuit, her condition made it impossible to do so alone. Thankfully, she had someone outside her family to rely on, as her nurse and friend, Mary Brown, agreed to accompany her.
And with that, she set out to turn her condition into fame and fortune.
24. She Became A Headliner
Fanny wouldn’t even have to search for an opportunity to showcase her act, as offers had already been pouring in since before she decided to leave. Traveling to New York, she joined the Bowery Museum as an exhibit, where the owner advertised her as "that girl from Ohio" with the "biggest feet on Earth".
Not to mention, these were far from any small-time shows she might have known in Ohio.
25. They Were Popular Attractions
Although showmen had been presenting people they called “freaks” since the 1700s, actual Freak Shows had become especially popular by Fanny’s time. With Fanny joining what most people referred to as “dime museums,” she put herself in the center of the spotlight and instantly gained even greater fame.
Because of this, she was no longer the only one around whom others considered a “freak”.
26. She Wasn’t Alone
In joining the Bowery Museum, Fanny Mills was finally able to meet people who had spent their lives as outcasts and spectacles, even if she was still the only one with her specific disorder. Many of her fellow performers had similarly visible medical conditions, such as having three legs or hair all over their bodies.
Just like the rest of them, she spent her days entertaining all who came to see her.
27. She Had Her Own Act
Performers who became exhibits in these dime museums, like Fanny, didn’t just stand behind glass while onlookers passed by, but usually had some sort of act that guests could buy tickets for. In Fanny’s case, it wasn’t anything too crazy, as all she did was sit on a chair before the gathered audience and hoist up her skirts to reveal her swollen feet and legs.
With this, her popularity skyrocketed until people all over America knew her name.
28. She Became More Famous
Fanny Mills had become used to the attention of others by this point, but because she had chosen to exhibit herself in New York, she opened the door to even greater acclaim. Garnering the attention of The New York Times, the publication featured her in several articles, and word of her act spread across the country.
Using this fame, the museum released a once-in-a-lifetime promotion.
29. They Offered Her Up
Wanting to draw in even more visitors to see Fanny, she became the center of an advertisement campaign which promised both love and riches. According to the promotion, a total of $5,000 and even an entire farm were available for interested men—as long as they were willing to marry Fanny.
The museum took this promotion and ran with it—no matter how demeaning it was.
30. They Spread The Word
It’s unclear how exactly Fanny felt about the promotion, but since it centered around the idea that no one would want to marry her, it would be understandable if she was upset. Nonetheless, the advertisement ended up in papers and on posters all around New York, usually with the line, “Don’t permit two big feet to stand between you and wedlock tinged with fortune!”
As expected, this brought in a sea of new spectators—all with one thing in mind.
31. They Came From All Over
The promotion worked better than Fanny Mills or the museum could ever have expected, and suddenly, huge waves of visitors were coming to her act—but not just to see it for themselves. Believing the ad to be an honest offer, many of these men put their hats in the ring to be Fanny’s husband, whether because of her dowry or not.
Little did they know, they were all out of luck before they even bought their tickets.
32. She Was Already Taken
Although legions of men flocked to her performance to ask for her hand in marriage, neither Fanny nor her promoters ever really intended to agree to any of them. This was because, behind the scenes, she was already happily married to William L Brown, who just happened to be the brother of her best friend, Mary.
Of course, she had other, more imaginative advertisements than her possible marriage.
33. They Made Other Advertisements
Beyond the promotion looking for Fanny’s possible husband, the museum continued to spread the news of her show through several more creative advertisements. One of her other more popular posters drew from a famous fairy tale, stating that “The old woman that lived in a shoe would have rented out apartments if she had resided in one of Miss Mills'”.
Before long, though, her audience grew a whole lot bigger.
34. She Became World-Famous
Fanny Mills may have become a relatively famous name, in New York especially, but she only spent about a year there before moving on to bigger and braver endeavors. In the fall of 1886, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that although she had a few shows left, Fanny would soon be sailing back across the pond for a tour of Europe.
Thankfully, by this point, she would never have to go anywhere alone again.
35. He Went With Her
Being such a successful performer, Fanny had all the help she needed as she left America to travel around Europe, but someone still couldn’t bear to stay behind. Although she continued to keep this part of her life private, Fanny brought William to tour Europe alongside her in secret.
Apart from traveling the world, she had already done quite well for herself.
36. She Was Well-Compensated
Many who ran these dime museums and Freak Shows couldn’t care less about decency or integrity, and as such, subjected their performers to mistreatment and discrimination. However, one silver lining in Fanny’s case was the agency she kept over her role as an exhibit, and specifically the money she earned from it. By the time she left for Europe, she was earning $150 per week—which is around $4,000 today.
Meanwhile, she did her best to create a normal life for her husband and herself.
37. They Tried To Make A Family
While little remains known about Fanny’s quality of life during the height of her career, the truth is she had earned the fame and fortune she set out to achieve and had even fallen in love. However, not everything would be sunshine and rainbows in her marriage, as although they tried to have their first child in 1887, her baby was tragically stillborn.
Unfortunately, she could only go on like this for so long.
38. She Couldn’t Do It Anymore
In the wake of the loss of her child, Fanny Mills tried to distract herself by pushing on with her work, touring and performing for audiences around Europe and back in the US. Sadly, her grief wasn’t the only major issue, as her lymphedema worsened over the following years. Finally, she had to announce that she was retiring from her performances and the spotlight in general.
Despite being so young, she had everything she needed to live happily ever after.
39. They Went Home
Unable to continue, Fanny officially left the stage in 1892, and few people ever saw her again as she settled into retired life. She and William had weathered the storm that was the loss of their child, and thankfully, had already purchased a house to spend the rest of their days together in Perkins, Erie, Ohio.
However, her condition only seemed to deteriorate further in her retirement.
40. She Developed More Issues
For most of her life, the biggest personal issues from Fanny’s lymphedema were ones that mostly affected her movement, but she would have even more to worry about as she neared the turn of the century. As with most lymphedema cases, she started to develop severe abscesses in her legs and feet, and they weren’t going away.
It became clear that she wouldn’t be improving anytime soon.
41. She Became Worse
True to their intentions, Fanny Mills and her husband did get to spend the last of their time as a married couple together, even if it wasn’t for too long. As the abscesses on her lower limbs grew worse, they developed an infection that rapidly turned into sepsis, poisoning her blood and leaving her bedridden.
There was little to do but let her illness take its course.
42. Her Story Ended
Despite the challenges that living with lymphedema presented, Fanny had always tried to live her life how she wanted, but her deteriorating health took that away as well. The sepsis soon landed her on her deathbed, and although Milroy’s disease usually doesn’t impact life expectancy, Fanny passed on May 3, 1899, at the age of 39.
In the end, even her passing couldn’t separate her and her love forever.
43. They Were Laid To Rest
Following Fanny’s tragic passing, William lived without her for only another five years before succumbing to his own severe illness and passing at the age of 69. His body was then transferred to Fanny’s hometown of Sandusky, Ohio, where it was buried next to hers as the two lovers reunited once again.
While she may have fallen into obscurity over the years, at least someone remembered her.
44. They Memorialised Her
Fanny’s story may not have passed the test of time as much as other notable Freak Show performers like Joseph Merrick, but she was never wholly forgotten by history. Much of this was thanks to places like the Follett House Museum in Sandusky, Ohio, which has put the unique lasts used for Fanny’s shoes on display.
On the other hand, it’s probably best that other aspects of her career faded away.
45. They Slowly Went Away
While Fanny had become one of the more successful stories to come out of the history of dime museums, her career actually took place around the tail end of their relevance. Both in the US and across the pond, as the years passed into the 1900s, many of these museums and attractions found their attendance steadily declining.
Unsurprisingly, the culture had largely moved on to the next trend.
46. They Had Other Shows
The spectacle of Freak Shows had held the attention of the masses for much of the 19th century, but as the 1900s arrived, bigger and better things took their places. Suddenly, attractions like carnivals were all the rage, and people became so much more enamored with the far cheaper games and rollercoasters. Chances are that Fanny would have been out of a job before long anyway.
Not to mention that people began to look past the simple label of “freak”.
47. They Understood More
Even though crowds had been content with pointing and laughing at people like Fanny for many decades before the turn of the century, they suddenly started looking more closely at what they were exploiting. Even the term “freak” fell out of the common vocabulary as most realized that they were just people with—sometimes severe—medical conditions.
Still, even today, Fanny may not have had much better luck than in her lifetime.
48. They Still Can’t Get Rid Of It
While it’s true that Fanny’s quality of life likely would have vastly improved had she been born in the modern day, medicine isn’t advanced enough to have eliminated her issues completely. Today, although most diagnosed with Milroy’s disease have access to much better treatments for their symptoms, there remains no cure for the disorder.
Ultimately, we’ll never truly know why she decided to enter the spotlight.
49. She May Have Been Desperate
There is no shortage of horror stories that have emerged from the history of Freak Shows like the one she joined, but taking that into account, Fanny Mills seemed to live a relatively happy life. Still, it's unclear whether she left home for such a career because she wanted to forge her own path to fame, or whether—like many others in her shoes—she simply had no other way of surviving.
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