In 1927 Englishman Horace Ridler, whose stage name was the Great Omi, wanted to become a circus superstar. He employed respected tattooist George Burchett to cover up his existing tattoos with black stripes all over his face and body.
tattoos helped to portray them as honest Christian women, simply earning a living showing off their art work.
The wages began to increase when men realised that they were getting two shows for the price of one – a tattoo sideshow and a peep show. To show off all their tattoos, women had to show a lot more flesh than was socially acceptable at the time. The women wore elaborate corsets and accesso- ries to attract the male audience to come and see them.
To bring in bigger audiences the tattooed circus performers began to incorporate other tricks into their act, for example Jack Tyron would eat fire and walk a tightrope, and Cap- tain Don Leslie was also a sword swallower. In 1927 Englishman Horace Ridler, whose stage name was The Great Omi, wanted to become a circus superstar. He employed respected tattooist George Burchett to cover up his existing tattoos with black stripes all over his face and body. Once the tattoos were complete he went on to body modification, having his teeth filed down to points and a tusk planted through his nose. He worked in England at Bertram Mills Circus and in the US at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. He achieved his goal to be one of the most famous show men of all time. One of the most photographed Tattooed Ladies was Betty Broadbent; she was a former nanny who ran away to the circus at the age of 17. She realised early on in her circus career that she would make more money as a tattooed performer, so she had
www.vintageinkmagazine.com
350 tattoos done by Charles Wagner and Joe Van Hart before she began touring in 1927. She toured with some of the biggest circuses in the US and was exhibited in the New World’s Fair in 1939 as part of the John Hix, “Strange As It Seems Sideshow”. Throughout her 40 year career she repre- sented the honest and hard-working side of the Tattooed Ladies.
The majority of Tattooed Ladies in the 1920s and onwards were part of a husband and wife tattooing team: the husbands tat- tooed their wife’s bodies and they became a walking advert for the tattooist’s work. George Burchett, an English tattooist, used his wife Edith as a canvas to show off his work both on and off the carnival circuit. The tattoo body suit on Edith was thought to be better art work than many of the ad hoc tattoo pieces around at the time. The body suit was planned out before it was put onto Edith’s skin and many said it was George’s best work.
By the end of the Second World War the circus and sideshows had hit a peak that they would not recover from: tattoos had lost their ability to intrigue and fascinate audiences. However, the tattoo as an art form had developed significantly through- out the late 1800s and early 1900s. What began as unsteady lines and blurred nauti- cal images developed into body suits full of detail, skill and meaning. Unlike the sideshow freaks these vintage tattoos have stood the test of time and are still being tattooed today.
Vintage Ink Magazine 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48