Count Orloff - the glass man (4 photos)

This man was called ossified. Although a more correct characteristic, which it ideally corresponded to, is transparent.







Ivan Wladyslaw von Dziarski-Orloff was born in Hungary in 1864. Although he was absolutely normal as a child, at the age of 14 the boy was overcome by a strange illness. They were never able to make a diagnosis, but by the beginning of his adult life, Orloff had practically become a living skeleton. He could not walk, stand, and constantly experienced excruciating pain throughout his body. To cope with it, Orloff became addicted to an opium pipe. It is noteworthy that the pipe became his calling card. Most promotional photos and posters depicted the artist puffing and “chasing the dragon.”



Although Orloff was known as a ossified man during his career, in reality his condition was quite the opposite. Orloff had insufficient bone density, which allowed them to bend and become twisted. The skin was very thin and the muscles were so atrophied that in the bright spotlight the audience could see the blood flowing through his veins. Moreover, when the bright light was behind, its warm glow could be seen on the other side.





As strange as Orloff was, many agents felt the need to embellish his idiosyncrasies even further. As a result, to this day, some claim that a person could read the newspaper through Orloff's body. This statement was made in one of the early advertising brochures.



The unique physiology caused by the disease made Ivan Vladislav a sought-after artist and allowed him to travel around the world. Eventually, he went into business and created his own successful show. Orloff passed away in 1904.