Eli Bowen (1842-1924) was born in Mansfield, Ohio, and died in Brooklyn, New York. Billed as "The Legless Acrobat," he worked as a showman and was known for his acrobatic work on top of a thirteen-foot pole. Bowen joined the Pullman Brothers sideshow in 1876 and then Cooper, Bailey & Co. in 1879. In 1897, he toured Europe for the Barnum & Bailey Circus and continued to work for Coney Island's Dreamland Circus Sideshow until his death at age 82. Bowen wrote to Mary Baker Eddy in 1885, trying to get in touch with his wife, Martha (Mattie) Bowen, who was attending the Massachusetts Metaphysical College in Boston, Massachusetts.

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