Caney Fork Wild Man

18x24
Watercolor, Pen & Ink on Paper
2014

Third in a series based on the folklore of my home, White County, TN. The Wild Man of the Caney is the only one that has been documented. According to a paper in Louisville, KY, he was captured by a "doctor" from Sparta, TN. The unfortunate man had a skin condition causing him to resemble a reptile. He even shed his scales twice a year. He lived alone in the wilds of our county in the 1830s-1860s, living off of fish, roots and herbs. He is believed to have had the last name, Crosslin. The doctor and a partner did what any "doctor" of that era would do and took this poor man on a national tour. He did not speak English, but spoke his own language, ate as much as four men, could hold his breath for almost an hour underwater, and would cry out in pain if in the dry air for more than ten minutes at a time. His hands were webbed and his feet were fused. I designed this based on old Victorian freak show posters.