Krao Farini

Krao Farini (1876 – 16 April 1926) was a sideshow performer born in what is now Laos, then part of the northern Rattanakosin Kingdom, with hypertrichosis, a rare condition characterized by excessive hair growth. At her death in 1926, fellow performers remembered her as "the best-liked of freaks" and "the peacemaker of the side show".

Early life Krao Farini as a child in a promotional photograph, c. 1880s. alt=Black-and-white studio portrait of a smiling young child with extensive facial and body hair, wearing a floral-patterned dress and looking upward. Handwritten text is visible below the photograph. Much of what is known about Krao Farini's early life comes from accounts published during her exhibition career, making it difficult to distinguish documented facts from promotional stories. alt=Black-and-white outdoor group photograph of a seated young woman with extensive facial and body hair, surrounded by six men wearing hats and jackets in front of a wooden wall. Krao Farini with unidentified men in an undated photograph, probably taken during her exhibition career in the 1890s. By the time Farini arrived in Philadelphia in November 1884 to begin her American career in a dime museum, contemporary accounts described her as only eight or nine years old and still under the care of Dr. George Shelly.