May –17 Jan.
See also: Millie-Christine McKoy
Eng and Chang Bunker, the first conjoined (formerly known as Siamese) twins to receive world-wide attention, were born in the fishing village of Mekong, Siam (now Thailand), to unidentified parentage. Their nationality became the antiquated name for the birth defect in which two persons are physically joined together. Eng and Chang, unlike some pairs of conjoined twins, were physically able and had no disabilities except for a thick but pliable band of flesh connecting them at the chest. During their childhood the band became stretched enough to allow them to stand side by side with relative freedom of movement. The condition initially caused alarm and consternation among the villagers, some of whom feared the extraordinary birth as a harbinger of doom. Because of a determined mother and their own adaptability, the two boys grew up as normally as possible, even raising ducks to help support their family, and were gradually accepted by their community.
In April , the twins met Scottish trader, Robert Hunter, and a New England sea captain, Abel Coffin, who persuaded the twins to go abroad with them. They arrived in Bos
Chang and Eng Bunker: The original Siamese twins had 22 children by 2 sisters
On August , Mark Twain wrote a short satirical essay titled “The Personal Habits of the Siamese Twins.” In it, the writer masterfully uses the life of two inseparable conjoined twin brothers named Eng and Chang as a metaphor to distress freely and precisely the problems that his nation was facing in the aftermath of the civil war.
Intrigued by their strange nature and having already met them, he wrote about their personal life and some of the difficulties they were facing to overcome living in a state such as theirs. By doing this, Twain comically is depicting the idea of two linked but incompatible selves, all to show the need for unity in a time where unity was nowhere to be found.
And their story was as strange as is their nature. Born on may 11th, in Siam now known as Thailand, the twins tell a story of two poor conjoined brothers descending from China, who were sold as slaves to work in a circus as entertainers throughout the States and the United Kingdom.
That’s just the introduction. Being an attraction wherever they went, they’ve earned enough to buy their freedom and a land of their ow
The dark history of the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker
In , conjoined twin brothers Chang and Eng Bunker were born in Siam (now Thailand). They were joined at the sternum by a short, flexible band of flesh and cartilage, through which their livers were connected.
Although they weren’t the first conjoined twins in history, their eventual fame in America would lead the term ‘Siamese twins’ to become synonymous with conjoined twins.
The Bunker twins remained unseparated throughout their entire lives, but that didn’t stop them from marrying and having children.
In fact, they had a total of 21 children between them, setting a record for the most children born to unseparated twins.
However, their biological offspring weren’t the only children under their ‘care’: Chang and Eng were Confederate slaveholders and owned several child slaves.
Read on to learn the dark history of the ‘original’ Siamese twins.
Chang and Eng were discovered in by a Scottish businessman named Robert Hunter. Sensing their money-making potential, he convinced the twins to come to America, although rumours later circulated that the twins' mother sold them to Hunter.
It took Hunter fi
Object Details
- Attribution
- Mathew Brady Studio, active -
- Sitter
- Chang Bunker, 11 May - 17 Jan
- Eng Bunker, 11 May - 17 Jan
- Exhibition Label
- The outdated term “Siamese twins” originates from brothers Chang and Eng Bunker (both –), born in Siam (now Thailand) with a shared liver and joined at the sternum. Discovered in their teens by a Scottish merchant and put on tour, the conjoined twins became sensations. For most of their career, they acted as their own managers. With their commercial success, they settled on a North Carolina plantation, became enslavers, married two sisters, and fathered twenty-one children. They died within hours of each other. Their story has been interpreted by many, from Mark Twain to a current film in the works by Gary Oldman.
- El término ya en desuso de “gemelos siameses” se originó con los hermanos Chang y Eng Bunker (ambos –), naturales de Siam (hoy Tailandia), quienes compartían un hígado y estaban unidos por el esternón. Descubiertos en su adolescencia por un comerciante escocés que los llevó de gira, se convirtieron en una sensación. Los gemelos manejaron ellos mismos la mayor parte de su carrera. Su éxito comercial les permitió establ
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