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SusiA girl with a special skin condition
Date of Birth: 26.02.1908
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Early Life and Condition
- Debut and Stage Name
- Performing and Captivating Audiences
- Later Career and Legacy
Early Life and Condition
Charlotte Linda Vogel was born in Berlin on February 26, 1908. She was the only member of her family with a peculiar skin condition that manifested as gray, thick, and deeply folded skin. This condition, likely epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, differed from the "alligator skin" ichthyosis commonly observed in her time.
Debut and Stage Name
In the 1920s, Charlotte toured Europe. In 1927, she relocated to the United States and joined Carl J. Lauther's Dreamland Circus Sideshow. She adopted the stage name "Susie, the Elephant-Skin Girl."
Performing and Captivating Audiences
Clad in a bikini or draped in a veil, Susie captivated audiences with her moving life story. She left Coney Island in 1933 and went on to perform at Ripley's Believe it or Not?! in Chicago. Over a million curious spectators witnessed her show over 80 times.
Later Career and Legacy
As the physical demands of her performances became too taxing, Susie relocated to New York. She obtained a low-stress job and performed for only an hour a day with an elephant named Lou. In the 1960s, Susie began her own show. She passed away just days before her 68th birthday in New York.
