Grace McDaniels

Grace McDaniels (March 17, 1888 – July 29, 1958) was an American freak show performer widely known as the "Mule-Faced Woman." Her fame derived from a severe facial deformity that drew significant public attention throughout her career. Although no verified medical documentation survives, her condition has been most commonly attributed to Sturge–Weber syndrome. However, alternative diagnoses—including PHACE syndrome and other vascular overgrowth disorders—have also been proposed. McDaniels joined Harry Lewiston's Traveling Circus, earning $175 per week. Despite the exploitative framing of her stage persona—later enshrined in Ripley's Believe It or Not! as the "World's Ugliest Woman"—she was remembered by colleagues and contemporaries for her gentle character and generosity.