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Attitudes in the 1800s
Just as sailors brought the tattoo to America from exotic ports of call, the circus and side show took the tattoo across the country. Circus and side show performers often wore tattoos as a way of increasing their appeal to audiences and thus improving their earnings. As early as 1884, carnivals, side shows, circuses, and traveling fairs were advertising tattooed performers among their acts. During the Depression, some tattoo artists who were unable to support themselves traveled with circuses and side shows.
Certain tattooed performers stood out even among their colorful peers. Irene Woodward, born in 1862, claimed to be the "original tattoo lady." A man known as Captain Costentenus appeared in Vienna in 1872 claiming to have been forcibly tattooed by Chinese Tartars. Nora Hildebrandt, who traveled with the Barnum and Bailey Circus in the 1890s, boasted 365 tattoo designs. She claimed that she had been forcibly tattooed by her father after being captured by natives in the Wild West.
As the American public lost interest in the carnival side show, many tattoo celebrities joined larger circuses or opened their own tattoo parlors.
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