From Biggest Top
and she went down to New York to exhibit at his American museum on Broadway.”
Barnum found Anna to be intelligent and reportedly treated her with respect – something not all of the so-called “freaks” he employed enjoyed.
Anna visited Great Britain, and along with visits to Glasgow and Edinburgh, returned to her parents’ home in Dumfries, and the Dalswinton estate where her grandfather had worked.
She met Martin Van Buren Bates, called the Kentucky Giant, who was only four inches shorter than Anna.
The pair married – receiving wedding presents from Queen Victoria – and settled down. Anna had two children but both died at birth. The second was the largest new-born ever recorded, at 23 pounds 9 ounces.
“Anna wanted to be the epitome of the Victorian lady. She wore gowns that had huge skirts, and hats,” said Susan.
“She longed to be considered a woman like other women. That meant being a lady and she was also interested in books and books. She was smart and thoughtful, and every inch of her height a lady.”
For decades Barnum’s circus has been condemned as exploitative of what he called “freaks”.
The Greatest Showman movie was criticised for celebrating a man who made a fortune out of exhibiting people – like 25-inch tall dwarf General Tom Thumb.
The reality is more complicated, according to circus historian Professor Vanessa Toulmin of Sheffield University.
“It’s true certain people were exploited during Barnum’s era, especially ethnic minorities,” she explained. “However Anna controlled her own finances and made a lot of money out of her performances.
“That wasn’t unusual among the performers. Tom Thumb was probably the highest-paid performer in the world at the time.
“Anna is a positive example of one of the 19th-century performers, she dealt with her career very successfully.”
The money she earned was enough for Anna and Martin to build a huge house – complete with 14-foot tall ceilings and proportional furniture – in Ohio, which became known as The House The Giants Built.
It was there she died at the age of only 41 – gravity wears giants down, according to Susan, author of the Biggest Modern Woman of the World.
Anna said she had been given words of wisdom from her Scottish grandmother when it came to her height – “Stand tall, lass, and be proud of your Highland ancestry”– although the line may have been made up by the great pretender Barnum.
“When I was a teenager an old boyfriend had seen an article about Anna Swan and he said that I was going to grow into her and go to join the circus,” said Susan.
“That was horrifying to me, I was 6ft 2 at 12 years old and I never thought I would stop growing.
“I didn’t grow any more but years later when I was a young writer her name floated up in my head. She was the boogie-woman in the closet that I might have been.
“I started to write a short story about her, which grew and grew. Now I’m looking forward to seeing where the script goes.”