Full-length portrait of the conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker standing outdoors on grass. Shows the young men barefooted and attired in matching Thai clothing consisting of brown caps, brown tunics, and blue, striped pants. The tunics are open in the front revealing the band of skin and flesh that joined them at the chest. Chang has his right arm around Eng's shoulder, and Eng holds his hand. Eng has his left hand on Chang's waist, and Chang holds his hand. Chang and Eng Bunker were born as conjoined twins in Thailand (formerly known as Siam) to parents of Chinese descent. Chang was positioned on their left, and Eng was on their right. Merchant Robert Hunter and Sea Captain Abel Coffin brought them to the United States in 1829, where they were exhibited as curiosities. The Bunkers left their managers and later toured independently. They purchased an estate in North Carolina. Eng married Sarah Yates, and Chang married her sister Adelaide Yates and together had twenty-one children., Title from a similiar print in the Wellcome Collection., Date inferred from medium and content., Gift of David Doret., Created postfreeze.
Date
[ca. 1830]
Location
Library Company of Philadephia | Print Department portrait prints - Bunker [P.2005.14.3]
