Al G. Barnes Tattooed Men:
Frank Martin & Bert Price
Written & Researched by Carmen Nyssen
Circus biographer Dave Robeson asserted that “No half measures ever satisfied…” the great showman, Al G. Barnes. And so it was with Barnes’ sideshow tattooed men, Frank Martin and Bert Price. The skin of these two illustrated men was decorated by top tattoo artists of the day, an attribute that boosted their stage appeal. In the setting of one of the era’s outstanding circuses, their first-class spectacle was elevated to a whole other level of wonderment. In fact, as a rule, the built-in, all-inclusive aggrandizing of tattooed attractions and the tattoo artist behind their tattoos, within the context of a grand sideshow, both incentivized the creation of attractions and played a role in promoting the tattoo trade.
Frank Martin (Real name Martin Jensen, 1886-1968)
The Al G. Barnes Circus took full advantage of the reciprocal aggrandizement when tattooed man Frank Martin was introduced to their sideshow platform in 1922. A Billboard Magazine notice touted that renowned New York Bowery tattoo artist Charlie Wagner was the tattooer who had etched on Martin’s extravagant suit of designs, building up both Martin’s and the show’s allure, as well as, Wagner’s tattooing prowess.
1922 Jul 22 Billboard pg. 61
“Frank Martin, tattooed man, is one of many features with the Al. G. Barnes Circus Annex. He is featuring one of the largest and most artistic back designs ever tattooed on a person. The work was done by the famous artist, Prof. Charles Wagner.”
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Whatever had lured Martin into the realm of tattooed attractions, it was an ‘about face’ from his usual line of work. A native of Denmark, he had arrived in the United States in 1905, and worked as a horseshoer for some years before finally undergoing the operation that earned him a showman’s status. It was sometime after April of 1915, when he declared his intention to become a citizen in Denver, Colorado, and before July of 1915, that he alighted New York City’s Bowery, where Charlie Wagner, and talented partner Lew Alberts, adorned his back with a stunning Virgin Mary piece, and the rest of his body with a menagerie of equally eye-pleasing designs.
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While Martin surely began trouping with shows soon after the completion of his work, and learned to ply the tattoo needle himself, he was still supplementing his income working as a horseshoer for Wells Fargo at the advent of World War I. But the West Coast, by then his new home, is where he connected with the Los Angeles-based Al G. Barnes Circus—the break that catapulted his career. From 1922 to 1926, he enjoyed the standard of show life that a prominent circus like Al G. Barnes had to offer. During the off-season, he joined the numerous acts exhibiting in Los Angeles’ South Main Street museums, and in 1926, even performed alongside the beautifully ornamented tattooed lady, Artoria Gibbons, in Kortes and McKay’s World Museum (539 South Main) line-up.
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Martin bid farewell to the show in the late 1920s. By the early 1930s, he had relocated to Seattle, Washington—variously tattooing at 121 Second Avenue with Fred W. McKee, at 407 Second Avenue, at 614 ½ 1st Avenue in Pioneer Square’s Howard Building, and lastly at 1003-1005 1st Ave in the Northwest Arcade. Throughout this time, he continued with horseshoe/blacksmith work.
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His last documented tattoo shop was on the Long Beach Pike, 417 West Seaside Boulevard. It’s unclear exactly when he retired, but he was probably in contact with the tattoo world the duration of his life. His 1968 death certificate indicates he had most recently been living on Los Angeles’ South Main Street, a known hub for tattooers.
Bert Price (Real name Bert Parker Reynolds, 1892-1946)
Tattooed man Bert “Bud” Price was the next tattooed man to grace the Al G. Barnes’ sideshow—with a bold bodysuit executed by several of 1920s Los Angeles’ top-notch tattoo artists: Charlie Barrs, Red Gibbons, Owen Jensen, and Bert Grimm. Given Price’s tall tales about how he acquired his designs, it’s not clear if his artists got their due credit on the sideshow stage. In a 1932 Seattle Daily Times interview, he said that his his ‘Rock of Ages’ backpiece was the piece that completed his ensemble, and that it had been done in France. Rather than a slight to the actual tattoo artist behind the work, though, his fluffed spiel was likely promotional, meant to imbue mystique into his act. Just the same it was Barrs, Gibbons, Jensen, and Grimm’s artistic all-over designs that created the captivating display beheld by show-goers.
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Like Martin, Price’s idea of becoming a tattooed attraction and traveling with shows was an afterthought. Although in the Seattle Daily Times interview he claimed he had joined Al G. Barnes as a cook fifteen years beforehand, in reality, he started out as a moulder in New York, and had only migrated to the West Coast around 1920. Most of the tattoo artists that applied his tattoos hadn’t trickled into town until the next few years after that.
Yet, for all his exaggerations, Price was undeniably a valued showman. His artistically executed tattoo work certainly stood out to director E.C. Kenton, who recruited him, and a few other Al G. Barnes performers, for cameos in his 1928 silent film, The Sideshow
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Price, and his wife Ethel—who at different times performed a sword box act, a broom illusion, and Spidora act—remained with Al G. Barnes into the 1930s, after it had been purchased by the American Circus Corporation and after Barnes had died. The 1930 census actually enumerates them, along with other showfolk, on the grounds of the Al G. Barnes Washington Street lot.
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As did many local showfolk, Price spent winters working various venues in downtown Los Angeles. According to a November 14, 1931 Billboard Magazine notice, he had learned to tattoo and operated a tattoo booth in Frank Westlake’s ten-in-one on South Main Street.
Bert Price might have retired from show life after Al G. Barnes shut down for good during the Depression in 1938. The 1940 census lists him as a moulder in a foundry, as does his 1946 death certificate.
Al G. Barnes (Real name Alpheus George Barnes Stonehouse)
Exhibiting in a circus with high-quality performers, such as tiger trainer Mabel Stark, equestrian Betty Kenyon, and the Klinkhart Midgets, defined both Frank Martin and Bert Price’s careers as tattooed men. In the same vein, however, and by the word of Al G. Barnes himself, their tenure with the show contributed to its acclaim. Before Barnes died on July 25, 1931, he compiled a list of men and women, his circus “family,” who loyally assisted in making the Al G. Barnes Circus “the greatest and finest show of its kind on earth.” Frank Martin, and “Professor Price” and his wife Ethel, are each deservedly memorialized on this appreciation list in his biography.
Tattoo memorabilia collection of Carmen Nyssen
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Frank Martin and Bert Price were not the only tattooed attractions with the Al G. Barnes Circus,of course, but they were two of the most highly recognized. Barney Harkins (Barney Kruntz) & George Devere (Henry Gunther) were two 1910s Al G. Barnes tattooed men.
While there is no evidence that Charlie Wagner, Lew Alberts, Charlie Barrs, Red Gibbons, Owen Jensen, and Bert Grimm boasted about their contributions in making these well-known Al G. Barnes tattooed men, the self-aggrandizing hustle inherent in tattooing—a vestige of its show roots—almost guarantees it.
Notes:
The book Al G. Barnes Master Showman by Dave Robeson, granted proper credit for Frank Martin and Bert Price, which many carnival biographies fail to do.
A couple newspaper articles state that Lee W. “Tex” Parker was the tattooed man in The Sideshow film. However, film credits state Bert Price played the role of tattooed man in that Movie. Lee W. Parker was the tattooed man in the 1927 film Two Flaming Youths.
Questions or Comments? Email:
carmennyssen@buzzworthytattoo.com
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