DESCRIPTION
Artist(s): Susan Decker
Gert Swazey (1855-1934) - Bareback rider with Barnum and Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth. As a young woman from a wealthy family, she ran away from home to join the circus rather than attend Bradford Academy (which later became Bradford College). Swazey is believed to be the first female circus performer to wear tights. She toured the country as a performer, then returned to Haverhill to live out her last years in poverty.