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Vintage original, sepia tone photograph of “Mary and Margaret Gibb, America’s Only Joined Together Siamese Twins.” Pictured with their Mother, photo measures 5.5 x 3.5 inches.

These conjoined twins were born in Holyoke, Massachusetts and were later known as The Guggino Twins: Bound together at the sacrum the Gibbs were a popular vaudeville and sideshow attraction for most of their lives. Mary stood at 4 feet 8 inches, just two inches shorter than sister Margaret. Pretty and amiable, they performed song and dance numbers at vaudeville theaters and dime museums up and down the eastern coast of the United States. In 1930, the Gibb twins commenced a European tour with major stops in France, Belgium and Switzerland. Beginning in 1934, the Gibb twins contracted with Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey, where they appeared for several seasons. In 1938, they appeared with Cole Brothers. The Gibb twins would appear with either the Cole or Ringling outfits alternately until their retirement in 1941. In 1942, the sisters opened the Mary-Margaret Gift Shoppe in their hometown of Holyoke. They continued to operate the shop on Portland Street until March of 1949. The Gibb twins lived the rest of their lives in relative seclusion. On 29 August 1967, the Gibb twins died — Margaret passing first, followed by Mary two minutes later. Autopsy revealed that Margaret had developed bladder cancer, which spread to her sister through their common circulatory system.