When The Elite Hired Humans as Lawn Ornaments

The Garden Hermits

While diving into historical archives recently, I stumbled upon a story so bizarre that I initially dismissed as satire.

But this was very much real: in 18th-century Europe, the ultra-wealthy were obsessed with hiring real people to live as decorative hermits on their estates.

Picture this: You're filthy rich, with a sprawling estate, and you think to you…