"JOSEPH CAREY MERRICK"
"He wrote: 'If I could reach from pole to pole, or grasp the ocean with a span, I would be measured by the soul - the mind's the standard of the man.' Joseph, if you were measured by YOUR soul, you would not have fit on the continent of Great Britain!"
Quiz created by: MTrusello
1. Contrary to the stupid film, Joseph lived with his family, until his mother's death and hard times forced him to enter a workhouse. How old was he?
(#) Fourteen
(#) Fifteen
(#) Seventeen
(#) Sixteen
2. To escape the workhouse, Joseph resolved to join a sideshow; he wrote a letter which led to a meeting with a promoter. In what city did they meet?
(#) Brighton
(#) Nottingham
(#) Suffolk
(#) Newmarket
3. What was the name of the inn at which the meeting took place?
(#) The White Dove Inn
(#) The Bee-Hive Inn
(#) The Evening Star Inn
(#) The Copper Kettle Inn
4. Soon, Joseph met his agent, with whom he became great friends - he was NOT beaten, sold, or kidnapped!! What was his agent's name?
(#) Sam Torr
(#) Tom Norman
(#) William Stewart
(#) Tom Ellis
5. What ended Joseph's successful sideshow career?
(#) He became too lame to walk
(#) He got the owner's daughter in trouble
(#) The entourage split up after a fire destroyed their caravan
(#) Sideshows were banned in England
6. After his famous collapse at the Liverpool Street Station, Joseph was brought to Whitechapel Hospital. To which ward was he admitted?
(#) The Cotton Ward
(#) The Pare Ward
(#) The Victoria Ward
(#) The Reed Ward
7. How many days did Joseph stay in this ward, before being transferred to permanent quarters on the premises?
(#) 220 days
(#) 318 days
(#) 297 days
(#) 185 days
8. What was the familiar name of the section of Whitechapel in which Joseph's permanent room was located?
(#) Bedstead Square
(#) Whitechapel Circle
(#) Station Street
(#) Newcastle Square
9. Although grateful for his room, Joseph always longed - and asked - to be allowed to move to a school for the blind. For what purpose?
(#) To teach music
(#) To live freely among the blind and be treated like anyone else
(#) To teach poetry
(#) To meet a blind woman, and find a lover and a wife
10. Who is thought to have sketched the sentimental portraits of family life which hung upon the walls of Joseph's room?
(#) Queen Victoria
(#) Joseph himself
(#) Princess Alexandria
(#) Prince Albert
11. Which famous actress of the Victorian era became Joseph's longtime pen pal?
(#) Lily Langtry
(#) Jenny Lind
(#) Madge Kendall
(#) Sarah Bernhardt
12. What did he handcraft for her as a gift?
(#) An oil paint portrait of her
(#) A needlepoint portrait of her
(#) A model of a church
(#) A ceramic bluebird
13. Joseph loved books, although Treves did not approve of his reading "trashy novels". Not all of them were. Which of these books was his favorite?
(#) The Iliad
(#) Canterbury Tales
(#) Macbeth
(#) The Bible
14. On what date was Joseph visited by Alexandria, Princess of Wales, and the Duke of Cambridge?
(#) December 24th, 1885
(#) September 12th, 1886
(#) May 21st, 1887
(#) March 14th, 1888
15. Joseph loved opera, music, and the theatre. What play did Joseph attend at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1887?
(#) "The Magic Flute"
(#) "Puss In Boots"
(#) "Il Travatore"
(#) "Swan Lake"
16. Beginning in 1887, Joseph took three vacations at the estates of Ms. Louise Knightley. According to her account, what color were Joseph's "nice eyes"?
(#) Hazel
(#) Green
(#) Brown
(#) Blue
17. Although she doesn't mention it, what color was his hair?
(#) Brown
(#) Blonde
(#) Red
(#) Black
18. During Joseph's first vacation, he stayed with one Mr. and Mrs. Bird. What was Mr. Bird's occupation on the property?
(#) Horse trainer
(#) Chef
(#) Farmer
(#) Gardener
19. During his second and third vacations, Joseph stayed with one Mr. and Mrs. Goldbye. What was Mr. Goldbye's occupation on the property?
(#) Hunting dog trainer
(#) Chauffer
(#) Housepainter
(#) Gamekeeper
20. What type of animal did Joseph "tame" and befriend during one vacation at the estates?
(#) A hostile male swan
(#) A formerly fierce dog
(#) A wild-born horse
(#) A formerly fierce bull
21. In 1889, Joseph received a gift of some game birds; they were cooked and served, and Joseph reported that they "were splendid". What were they?
(#) Quail
(#) Grouse
(#) Pheasants
(#) Partridge
22. What was the date of the postmark on his thank-you letter to his benefactor, Mrs. Leila Maturin?
(#) May 4th, 1889
(#) April 3rd, 1889
(#) July 10th, 1889
(#) October 17th, 1889
23. Joseph benefited from - and loved - hot baths. Most people of Victorian England bathed once a week. How often did Joseph bathe?
(#) Twice per week
(#) Three times per week
(#) Once a week
(#) Every evening
24. What was Joseph's favorite evening activity?
(#) A moonlight walk in the hospital garden
(#) A game of solitaire
(#) Reading the London Times
(#) Working on a model ship
25. When anyone asked why his head was so big, what was Joseph's explaination?
(#) Because it housed his soul
(#) Because it was so full of dreams
(#) Because his brain was so big that it wouldn't fit in an ordinary head
(#) So that it would fit his hat
Click here to take this quiz and post a reply with your score.