3 NEGATIVES OF MARY & MARGARET GIBB, 1949,CONJOINED/SIAMESE TWINS OF HOLYOKE, MA

Description

A brief history of the Gibb twins -
Entertainers. Born in Holyoke, Massachussetts their mother, Margaret Lawrence Gibb, was among the first women in the United States to survive a natural birth of conjoined twins. Pygopagus twins, they were joined at the hips at the base of the spine, their circulatory systems were largely separate and they shared no major internal organs. When the twins were born and again when they were three years old, surgeons approached the family about separating them, but were refused. The girls were raised
at home and educated by private tutors. At 16 they left home, starring in a vaudeville act, dancing and playing piano, but never gaining the notoriety of the similarly conjoined Hilton
sisters. Margaret become engaged in 1929, to Carlos Daniel Josefe of Mexico City, whom she met while appearing in New Orleans. They applied for a marriage license, but no wedding ever occurred. The sisters continued to perform into the 1930's, travelling with the Barnum and Cole Brothers Circuses as "America's Siamese Twins", appearing in Paris, Germany, and Switzerland and across the United States. In 1942, they retired from the stage and returned to Holyoke. They then opened the Mary-Margaret Gift Shop, remaining in business until 1949 when they retired from public life entirely and lived an almost reclusive existance. As the twins aged, Margaret began to suffer health problems. She underwent two operations, one in 1946 to remove a bladder stone and another in 1953 to remove a fibroid tumor. Throughout they refused even to discuss the possibility of separation. In 1966, Margaret was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. Over the next year, it spread to her lungs, but the sisters still adamantly refused separation. By 1967, the cancer had also spread to Mary. The twins succumbed to the illness at age 55 within minutes of one another. As per their request, they were not separated even after death; they were interred in a custom coffin together.
These negatives came from the collection of a news photographer for the Holyoke, MA Transcript Telegraph.  They are from 1949.  I believe they were announcing the closing of their gift shop.
Condition -
Original.  The negatives have a blue tint and some blue spots because of something with the developing process.  They are also a little warped.
Please look at the photos carefully and ask questions if you have any.
Thank you.