The Fat Boy of Peckham

Several years ago while living in Peckham, South London, I read about Johnny Trunley - The Fat Boy of Peckham. Born in 1898, by the time Trunley was 5 he was quite famous for being fat. (12 stone)

I thought he would be a great subject for a poster… and a blog

Firstly there is the jarring fact that a Victorian child could be exploited for being overweight. In the days when people like the elephant man, bearded ladies, and the like would travel the country in touring freak shows with, it seems little or no empathy, let alone sympathy. Johnny would also perform in Fred Karno’s music hall announcing “I Want to be a Jocky” to an appreciative audience.

Shockingly Trunley was managed by his father, who obviously had a vested interest in insuring his son grew wider as he grew taller. It says a lot that Trunley’s life as a travelling Freak was cut short when his manager father died in 1912 and then war broke out forcing rationing on to the people of Britain. Johnny trunley lost a lot of weight. He went on to have a successful career as a local jeweller until his death at the age of 47 of pulmanory. A condition that may not have been deadly had Johnny not had such an unhealthy start in life.

But there is another aspect to this story that is equally shocking when we compare it to contemporary times. Until recently an overweight child was a rare and fascinating spectacle. Now, in the days of supermarkets and their bulk selling initiatives, cheap, overly processed food, computer games and paranoid and self conscious parents who drive their children everywhere, Britain has a huge proportion of overweight children.

This poster is a commentary on the strange world that was the Victorian era and a reflection of the even stranger, less caring world of the 21st century.