1895 Magazine Article….
The Smallest Athletes and Wrestlers in the World.
The two midgets, Francis and Charles, whose portraits we give this month, have had the honour of appearing before most of the Continental Courts, and justly claim to be the smallest athletes and wrestlers of the world. Francis, the elder, born on the 28th of November, 1875, and therefore nearly nineteen years old, measures 32in. in height anid weighs 251b. 5oz., whilst Charles, born on the 12th of May, 1877, and therefore eighteen months younger than his brother, is 31 in. high, and weighs 171b.10 oz. They are of a Viennese family, and, curiously enough, their brothers and sisters are of normal height. Francis and Charles, although so very small, are well proportioned, and instead of becoming a burden to their family they have, thanks to Mr. Herman Rossow, the well-known athlete, become a source of gratification not only to themselves but to their parents as well. Mr. Rossow has taught them wrestling, lifting weights, and athletic exercises generally, under which tuition they greatly improved in health, and swoons – where-from they suffered before – disappeared entirely. Francis raises a bar of 19lb. 13oz., and Charles lifts several times running a bar of 12lb. 2oz., and with one hand swings 10lb. 7oz.
Our first illustration shows Mr. Rossow and his pupils ready for a walk ; Fig 2 represents the midgets in their performances.
Comments on this entry are closed.