The first picture and the third picture of her are both from the film, The Mutations, from 1974. The second picture was taken by photographer, Richard Avedon in 1979.

These events happened in mid July of 1971, when she was working at a sideshow in South Carolina. While she was ultimately successful, it came with a bit of a compromise. The sideshows were allowed to stay open, but only people aged 18 years old and older were allowed to enter. 

Despite her success, she was still a bit disappointed because she could no longer educate children about her condition (at least in South Carolina). Her performances were always family friendly and she often encouraged parents of children who were born with ichthyosis to bring them to meet her so that she could normalize the condition at a time when it was still very unknown and misunderstood, while also providing a safe environment for children to talk with someone who would understand. 

Ichthyosis is a rare condition that causes a persons skin to painfully harden and crack leading to an increased risk of infection, Esther’s efforts to educate the public about the condition were very important to her because she wanted to help children with their self confidence and self love (two things she struggled with when she was young).

In an interview later on, she explained that she felt the people in charge of passing the bills that threatened to close sideshows had good intentions in mind, but didn’t understand that sideshow performers enjoyed their jobs and were well compensated for their time and efforts. 

Esther Parnell was an American sideshow performer born with a form of ichthyosis, which caused her skin to painfully harden and crack and had to keep it constantly hydrated/moisturized to help manage it. She began her performing career with her brother, who was also born with a form of ichthyosis. She went on to marry a ticket seller named Thomas Blackmon who eventually became her manager. The couple had seven children together, none of whom inherited her condition. She cherished spending time with her children and enjoyed gardening and watching soap operas.

Esther Parnell Blackmon (who was born with ichthyosis) once organized a fight against the South Carolina Legislature’s attempt to forbid sideshow performers from performing! Ultimately, her efforts were successful and she and her coworkers were allowed to continue performing in the area!