[x]

The Elephant ManThe Elephant Man

The silence could be cut with a knife. I stared in a horrified fascination at the man who stood before me. No doubt that at least one lady fainted, but she went unnoticed, all eyes fixed on this gentleman. His features were alarmingly distorted, parts swollen, parts seeming to be collapsing. Even I, one of the most hardy gypsy girls had to sustain a gasp. I had seen men butchered and left to hang on the side of a road but even that didn't compare to this. He was disgustingly intriguing, someone you couldn't look away from if you tried. Finally, the man staging the freak show asked, "Does any one have anything to say about th

Browse More Like This

More from ~odile-locket

View Gallery · View Prints

Featured in Groups:

Not currently featured in any groups.

Details

Submitted: January 25, 2008
Image Size: 81.4 KB
Resolution: 1667×1000

Link

Thumb

Statistics

Comments: 17
Favourites: 12 [who?]
Views: 895 (0 today)
Downloads: 3,929 (0 today)

[x]

Joseph Merrickby ~odile-locket

Photography / People & Portraits / Expressive

I didnt do this

this is a picture sumulated by... scentificly people... and its of the elephant; what he would look like if he didnt have his deformities and Im sorry but it acctually really moved me to tears in fact after reading his story and seeing this that he is SOOO beautiful and i mean he really is and he died so young and was so grateful for people being kind to him and he didnt really care what others thought, he knew that that was how he was meant to be. and then he died and people wanted his bones!!! thats just so sick, he was never burried, he had no family left and his bones are sill in the british hospital in london! for "Use for medical science"I only hoped that he had had a better sampling of human nature before he died and to not have been treated as he was he is NOT a freak quite the conturay he was a credit to humans and is a good deal better than about 95% of my school!!! just goes to show never judge anyone, they well be the greatest person you will ever know and change your life for the better!!!!

love 2 2

~~joy 0 0~~

~~wow 0 0~~

~~mad 0 0~~

~~sad 0 0~~

~~fear 0 0~~

~~neutral 0 0~~

~Zyoura Nov 10, 2012 Hobbyist Photographer

It's amazing what the forensic scientists could do to uncover this incredibly handsome man from is deformities. Even if you look at his original photos (especially the one of him facing the camera), you can see a little of his normal face peaking out on his left side (the disease seemed to have favored his right side).

Call this off-topic, but I sometimes wonder what kind of man he would have been without his deformities...considering the fact that his mother died when he was 11, his father was a drunkard, married an abusive bitch and left school rather early (which was typical of the day) to work.

~Nbbren Aug 26, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

I know how it feels Joseph, I two want to be a normal human being.

*MandyMullins2 Nov 18, 2011

*SomeonesBella Aug 25, 2009 Hobbyist Writer

What was done to him proves how horrible we humans can be when we're afraid of the unkonwn.
The way society treated him, it was simply disgusting.
He was such a kind human being, after all that had been done to him.
Why do people have to be so cruel with the things they don't understand? It makes me sick how he was treated and I hope he's in a better place now.

~octobersanctuary Sep 23, 2012

What's amazing though is that Merrick went through all of that and remained a decent, gentle and soulful human being. His story is as much a celebration of best - as well an an indicment of the worst - in the human condition.

!Ilite Jul 19, 2009 Hobbyist Photographer

Poor Joseph.

Sad and terrible that this gentle soul was shunned by society because of his deformities. Seeing this image makes me wonder whether he would've had a different personality if he had not become deformed by his syndrome (Proteus, isn't it?). But I love him either way.

RIP, Joseph Merrick.

~Cosmic-girl88 Oct 21, 2008

I remember seeing this program and this pic never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for putting it up here

Cosmic*

~Crystal-Gargoyle Sep 28, 2008

Oh yeah. I've got a copy of the documentary on tape. Compelling, aint it.

It was really interesting seeing what Joseph would have looked like had he not been deformed. He looked a bit like how I drew him sans Proteus Syndrome/NF.
Personally I like him both ways.

~odile-locket Sep 29, 2008 Student Photographer

lol yeah me too

i just URGH society is so messed up that he wasnt accepted for how he was body was

~Crystal-Gargoyle Oct 1, 2008

Totally

It was society's loss that those who turned him never got a chance to meet the charming, sweet, and intelligent being behind the disfigured facade

More from ~odile-locket

Featured in Groups:

Details

Statistics

Joseph Merrickby ~odile-locket

The Journal Portal

Polls

What is your preferred drawing software?

deviantART [dee·vee·un'nt·ART]

Keep in Touch!

Deviousness

Add Media

Style