Pacific Northwest Tattooers:
Oregon Ben & Friends
Researched & Written by Carmen Nyssen
The Pacific Northwest was home to an interesting line-up of tattoo characters throughout history, and tattooed man-tattooer, “Oregon Ben,” ranks among them. Although little detail is known about Oregon Ben’s career, he was interconnected with some of the more prominent early names in Seattle tattooing. Not to mention, he left behind several evocative photos that illuminate both his interactions with these tattooers and their mode of business.
One c. 1910s real photo postcard (RPPC) of Oregon Ben’s grandly tattooed torso touts the artist behind his tattoos—Hugo Jules Spitzer (1871-1942), a mostly West Coast tattooer who spent a few years in both Seattle and Portland.
Spitzer arrived in Seattle in 1905, just after working the St. Louis World’s Fair, first settling into a spot at 416 King Street, then later an arcade at 207 Second Avenue, near Pioneer Square. Although it’s unclear which workspace was the setting for the all-over tattoo job he executed on Oregon Ben, he at least commemorated himself as the person who did the work with bold, front-and-center lettering on the pit of Ben’s stomach:
“Oregon Ben Tattooed by Prof. H. Spitzer.”
As inferred by another torso-shot pitch photo of Ben in the Whatcom Museum’s James Warwick Vaudeville collection, once his tattoo work was complete, he advertised Spitzer’s expert tattooing—“signature” and all—by exhibiting himself on stages across the Pacific Northwest, including the popular theaters of Bellingham, Washington (either Beck’s or the Grand Theater).
Though Hugo Spitzer eventually left Seattle, his essence remained in the city through his tattoo work and his passed-on lineage …and yet another photo (coming up) that brings his connections to Oregon Ben full circle.
Before Spitzer relocated to Portland, c 1910-1912, he sold his outfit to George Washington Crueger (1889-1971), a twenty-two-year-old journalism student at the University of Washington. Crueger, as it happens, had actually met Spitzer while interviewing him about his curious line of work for a school project.
After their encounter, Spitzer gave Crueger some tattoo lessons and sold him the necessary equipment to make his own living by the needle. Although Crueger continued with his education, he paid his way by operating an evening tattoo booth on Madison Street, where he earned up to $10.00 per day tattooing from the designs on his “dingy nautical prints.” Then, sometime around 1912 he moved into Spitzer’s old spot at 207 Second Avenue.
Not only did the unfolding of all these events win Crueger a new profession that afforded him good income, he also gained a partner in the trade—none other than Spitzer’s old customer turned tattooer, Oregon Ben.
As seen in the below 1920 photograph depicting Oregon Ben’s professional promotional signage, the two had established quite a tattoo operation in Seattle. Oregon Ben, though also a tattooer, performed as a “tattooed man,” to lure customers into Crueger’s 709 1st Avenue penny arcade-tattoo parlor, located at the intersection of Cherry Street across from Pioneer Square.
The focus of the 1920 photo is actually the Spring Cigar Company storefront, at 707 1st Avenue, with the “Oregon Ben World’s Greatest Tattooed Man” sign sitting to the left of Crueger’s penny arcade entrance next door.
This next related photo depicts the Spring Cigar Company storefront, in 1909, when it was located at 709 1st Avenue, inside the Horsehoe Bar. This is the same façade that welcomed clientele entering Crueger’s penny arcade when he operated at this location—starting in World War I and into the early 1920s. [Also see the customized feature photo of Oregon Ben in front of the intersection of 1st Ave and Cherry Streets; the tattoo shop would have been just behind him on the left side of the street].
According to Crueger, Oregon Ben also worked as a tattoo artist, but his skills were somewhat lacking during their partnership. In a November 7, 1965 Seattle Daily Times newspaper interview (which has a few date discrepancies), Crueger informed the reporter that Ben was a bit “shaky with the needles:”
“For four years he [Oregon Ben] almost literally stood behind me telling me what to do; we split the profits. …By that time he had acquired enough skill to carry on alone.”
After several years of working ogether, Oregon Ben and George Crueger went their separate ways. While Oregon Ben’s career apparently fizzled out, George Crueger was a mainstay in Seattle until his death in 1971. He operated a good number of arcade-tattoo shops in the Pioneer Square area and near the Pike Place Market, some with additional amenities such as a cigar stand or photography studio. As noted by his Great-Granddaughter Trina, one of his tattoo shops in Pioneer Square even included a pool hall and laundry mat.
Over the years, Crueger remained connected with all sorts of show business and tattoo characters, and like Hugo Spitzer, passed on his legacy through those he etched with his handiwork, as well as, those he worked with and mentored.
Related History:
Elephant trainer-tattooer George “Slim” Lewis was Crueger’s student. Read my research about him here: Slim Lewis: Elephant Trainer-Tattooer
Also read the Buzzworthy Tattoo History gestalt article about some of the Portland, Oregon tattooers Hugo Spitzer worked amongst: Portland Oregon’s Early Tattoo Traditions
Notes:
1) Thank you to the University of Washington, Special Collections and Whatcom Museum, respectively, for the photos of the Seattle shopfronts and Oregon Ben.
2) George Crueger’s surname was spelled variously as Creuger, Kruger, Cruger, Krueger, etc.
Questions or Comments? Email:
carmennyssen@buzzworthytattoo.com
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