Josephine Myrtle Corbin

Josephine Myrtle Corbin was an American sideshow performer born in 1868 with a rare congenital condition known as dipygus.

Josephine Myrtle Corbin was an American sideshow performer born in 1868 with a rare congenital condition called dipygus, which gave her four legs. She was billed as the “Four-Legged Girl from Texas” and became a notable attraction in late-19th-century entertainment.

What it is

Dipygus is a rare congenital condition where the lower body splits into two sets of legs and pelvises. Corbin was born with this anomaly on May 12, 1868, in Lincoln County, Tennessee. Her two inner legs were smaller and less functional, but she could walk with assistance.

Key details

Corbin performed in traveling sideshows as the “Four-Legged Girl from Texas.” She later married, had five children, and lived a relatively long life for the era. She died in Cleburne, Texas, on May 6, 1928, six days before her 60th birthday.

Why it matters

Corbin’s case drew medical interest and is still referenced in discussions of congenital anomalies. Her life illustrates how people with rare conditions navigated public curiosity in the 19th century, balancing performance with personal milestones like marriage and parenthood.