Barnell toured for a time with a number of circuses, including the Ringling Brothers circus, and later joined Hubert's Museum in Times Square, New York City. She appeared in a Tod Browning's 'Freaks' (1932) which, according to the documentary on the "Freaks" DVD ("Freaks: The Sideshow Cinema", 2004), left her unhappy with the overall portrayal of the sideshow performers in the film.