Sandra Reed
Sandra Reed | |
|---|---|
Signed photo of Sandra Reed swallowing swords | |
| Born | Mary Armstrong 1945 |
| Died | 2019 (aged 73–74) |
| Other names |
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| Years active | 1960s—1980s |
| Employers |
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| Spouse | Harold Spohn |
| Honours | Guinness Book of World Records holder for swallowing 5 swords at once, female (1975–1977) |
Sandra Dee Reed also known as Lady Sandra (1945–2019) was an American World Record holding sword swallower born with albinism.[1] She started working for the Slim Kelly and Whitney Sutton sideshow of James E. Strates Shows at the age of 24 as a lecturer (educator on albinism) before being trained in sword swallowing[2] and later performing in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.[3] From 1975 to 1977, she was a Guinness World Records holder for swallowing five 30-inch blades to two-thirds of their length simultaneously.[4]
Career
Reed was offered a job by showman Whitney Sutton at the New York State Fair in 1969, initially to be a lecturer on albinism. Her family was supportive—her sister Doreen, also albino, also joined as a lecturer, their father joined to sell tickets, and their mother previously worked in vaudeville and girl shows.[5]
She learned sword swallowing from Ricky Richiardi in Gibsonton, Florida, in 1969.[5]
In the mid-1970s she married and performed with Harold “Big Jim” Spohn, billed as “the fat man”.[6]
From 1975 to 1977 she held the Guinness World Records title for most swords swallowed simultaneously by a woman.[4]
An illustration of Reed swallowing swords was used for the cover art of volume one of James Taylor’s carnival history magazine Shocked and Amazed! for which she was interviewed in 1995.[7]
The Shocked and Amazed! cover illustration was inspired by a photo of Lady Sandra taken by renowned American photographer Diane Arbus in 1970.
In 1991, this photo, titled "albino sword swallower at a carnival, Maryland" sold for $28,000 at auction.[8]
References
- ^ Pat Leisner (February 23, 1975). "Deformity No Sideshow in Gibsonton". Pensacola News Journal. Associated Press. p. 38. Archived from the original on 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2025-05-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Meyer, Dan (2019). To the Hilt: A Sword Swallower's History of Sword Swallowing. Marc Hartzman (1st ed.). New York: Schiffer Publishing, Limited. ISBN 978-0-7643-6882-0.
- ^ "Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) Sword Swallower's Hall of Fame". swordswallow.com. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ a b McWhirter, Norris; McWhirter, Ross (1976). Guinness Book of World Records Giant 1976 Edition. Bantam Books. p. 43.
- ^ a b Hartzman, Marc (2006). American Sideshow. East Rutherford: Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4406-4991-2.
- ^ "Lot Detail - Personal Photo Albums and Scrapbooks of Sandra Reed. Primar..." auctions.potterauctions.com. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "Volume 1 | Shocked and Amazed!". Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "DIANE ARBUS (1923-1971) Albino sword swallower at a carnival, Md. 1970". Christie's.
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