Birth of the Tattoo Trade: New York Bowery
Researched & Written by Carmen Forquer Nyssen
The tale of how tattooing emerged as a bona fide trade in America is a fascinating account, set in the backdrop of old New York City and colored by enterprising pioneers who continually broke new ground in their time-honored profession. An uncanny convergence of events in late 1880s New York City—rooted in the dime shows of the Bowery entertainment district, the seafaring traditions of the Fourth Ward, and beyond—embodies what is perhaps the most pivotal era in the tattoo trade’s evolution.
Barnum-Costentenus-Bunnell
It all began in New York City, in 1876, when circus magnate, Phineas T. Barnum (1810-1891), contracted the sensationally tattooed-from-head-to-feet native of Greece, George Costentenus (1833-?), for his sideshow. Although Captain Costentenus, or the ‘Tattooed Greek,’ as he was billed, was not the first tattooed man to exhibit his tattoos in front of an audience, he was said to have been the first person who had himself tattooed for this specific purpose. Whether this is the case or not, at the very least, his designs were unique. (View Pitch Pamphlet online at Harvard Library).
Until Costentenus’ debut, tattooed circus/museum attractions of the early-to-mid 1800s were typically (and unfortunately) captive indigenous peoples of the Americas and South Pacific, or white men incidentally tattooed by them in the course of their travels. These early attractions, who hadn’t been marked with the concept of being exhibited, wore traditional monochrome patterns of the said cultures; i.e. Barnum’s James F. O’Connell (1808-1854) had been tattooed by natives of the Pacific Island of Pohnpei when he lived amongst them. Costentenus’s all over designs were strikingly different, a colorful array of flora and fauna, which a dime show lecturer claimed were put on against his will by Chinese tartars who had imprisoned him. Actually Burmese stamp tattoos, his unusual decorations, along with his dramatic spiel, thick braided hair, and full beard, were such a novelty for audiences that he remained a highlight of Barnum’s show, and later George B. Bunnell’s (1835-1911) famous Bowery dime museum, for a number of years. In fact, whether or not he was purposely tattooed so he could make a living in show business, his sensational act inspired a new trend of tattooed attractions in America—those decorated with the sole intent of exhibiting on the circus and dime museum stage. This breakthrough phenomenon—born on the New York Bowery—was the turning point for a whole new era of tattooing.
“With the help of Barnum and Bunnell’s promotional expertise, ‘trade-specific’ tattooed attractions, ranked among the most sensational humbugs.” –Tattoo Historian, Carmen Forquer Nyssen, Barnum and Bunnell’s Tattooed Humbugs: Manifesting a Tattoo Trade.
‘Trade-specific tattooed attraction’ coined by Tattoo Historian Carmen Forquer Nyssen
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“Old” Martin Hildebrandt
New York City’s dime show setting was just one of several intersecting influences responsible for the progression. As much as the soon-to-be trade was inspired by contrived stage performances, it was simultaneously informed by another, all too real, scene—the rough-and-tumble sailor’s haven in the city’s Fourth Ward immigrant melting pot. It was here, in this dockside neighborhood overrun with brothels and beer halls, that some of New York’s earliest tattoo artists earned income hand-poking the hides of in-port salty sea dogs, and like scalawags, with a tried-and-true stock of sailor-inspired and other folk designs. The most famous of them was German-born, sailor-tattooer “Old Martin” Hildebrandt (1825-1890). By 1859, Hildebrandt had set-up at 361 Water Street, the Slaughter-House Point saloon, headquarters of the notorious Daybreak Boys gang. While similar seedy watering-holes served as Hildebrandt’s “tattoo parlors” throughout his career, the dubious surroundings were no obstacle for his business ambitions. (Click below image link).
Unlike itinerant cohorts who roved from port to port and/or mostly dabbled in tattooing, Hildebrandt smartly established himself as a permanent fixture in the Fourth Ward after serving in the Civil War, and made the age-old art of tattooing his primary occupation. In other words, he uplifted his chosen profession as a trade.
In time, word of mouth spread about Hildebrandt and his clientele expanded; his name was known, not only among locals, but nationwide. As early as 1872, and into the early 1880s, newspaper articles touted him as a leading tattoo artist. Hildebrandt lived up to the praise, catering to sailors, tradesman, socialites, and more.
As fate would have it, Hildebrandt’s increasing rise to fame intersected with the ‘Tattooed Greek’s’ reign on the dime show stage, and its inevitable decline. In 1880, just as Costentenus’ novelty began to wane, the veteran tattooer introduced a groundbreaking creation to New York Bowery dime show patrons—America’s first trade-specific tattooed attraction: a person covered in a specially designed ‘suit’ of ‘tattoo trade’ designs expressly for exhibition purposes.
“With the help of Barnum and Bunnell’s promotional expertise, ‘trade-specific’ tattooed attractions, ranked among the most sensational humbugs.” –Tattoo Historian, Carmen Forquer Nysssen, Barnum and Bunnell’s Tattooed Humbugs: Manifesting a Tattoo Trade.
Trade-Specific Tattooed Man
By May of 1880, Hildebrandt and his then partner (and one-time pupil), Stephen Lee (1847-1914) of Philadelphia, had completed a full suit of tattoos on a Brooklyn jeweler named Harry Decoursey (real name William Denny, 1851-1903). Contracted by Bunnell’s dime museum as a rival to Costentenus, Decoursey was promptly dubbed the ‘Tattooed Greek’ and wielded a performance echoing Costentenus’ act. He wore a bushy beard like his predecessor and a lecturer unraveled a melodramatic tale of how he was captured and forcibly tattooed by Greek pirates. Though his exotic stage persona awed audiences, his patriotic, religious, and sailor-themed designs—typical of American tattooing—resonated above all. Soon after his debut, Decoursey, the new tattooed star of the dime show, became known as “Captain” Harry Decoursey, the ‘American tattooed man.’
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In his pitch booklet, Decoursey reinforced the ideal of an American-made, trade-specific tattooed attraction by pronouncing the sailor’s art superior to any other method of tattooing. The process of needling in India ink (black) and Vermilion (red), he said, was more grueling than Burmese stamp work, but the designs were eloquently executed, and the subject matter was immediately recognizable to show-goers. He further upheld that Hildebrandt and Lee, the artists behind his tattoos, were the finest practitioners in their profession.
“The merging of the so-called sailor’s art with dime museum dynamics was an explosive development in tattooing.” –Tattoo Historian, Carmen Forquer Nyssen. Barnum & Bunnell’s Tattooed Humbugs: Manifesting a Tattoo Trade.
The merging of the so-called sailor’s art with dime museum dynamics was an explosive development. Tattooers—namely Hildebrandt in the beginning—benefited from a grand platform to advertise their work, and tattooing was now visible to a broader, and eventually more accepting, population.
See Carmen Nyssen’s feature article Barnum & Bunnell’s Tattooed Humbugs: Manifesting a Tattoo Trade
If the aptly titled ‘Tattooing as a Trade,’ a New York Tribune article featuring Hildebrandt, is any indication, by 1881 tattooing had indeed reached a certain level of legitimacy in the American public eye. Ever the innovator, Hildebrandt rode the momentum with a truly revolutionary offering.
Tattooed Ladies
On March 20, 1882, the very first ‘tattooed lady’ Irene Woodward (1862-1915), wowed patrons at Bunnell’s Museum, 9th & broadway, in a daringly risqué costume. Although there is no documentation of who actually tattooed Irene, Hildebrandt is believed to be her creator. In either case, it was he who staked a claim in the game by producing several more tattooed ladies within the year, including a particularly special ambassador of his work—his new wife Nora (1857-1893).
At the start of the following year, in February of 1883, Nora, too, secured a one-year contract with Bunnell’s dime museum, effectively publicizing both Hildebrandt’s name and his tattoo work to audiences. Unfortunately, despite Hildebrandt’s best efforts to maintain a foothold on his innovation, his provocative, scantily clad tattooed ladies showcased tattooing in an all too alluring package. (Their specialness is evidenced by the fact that some savvy businessman, possibly Hildebrandt or Bunnell, tried to safeguard against imitators. An entry in the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Washington, indicates that someone had inquired about copyrighting this original idea (a request likely denied)).
As with Decoursey, Irene and Nora’s acts lauded the sailor’s art of tattooing; they were purportedly captured by Native Americans who forced their ex-sailor fathers to tattoo them. Yet, because of their scandalously permissible display of skin, they easily surpassed the novelty of their male counterparts. Hildebrandt’s tattooed ladies were such compelling spokesmodels that they inspired a huge wave of tattooed women—and men—intent on becoming the next marvel of the circus and dime show circuit. These aspiring tattooed attractions, who brought ample business to competitors, all at once opened the trade to new possibilities and upended Hildebrandt’s rule.
Hildebrandt’s pinnacle accomplishment, though it advanced the tattoo trade by leaps, ultimately led to his complete undoing. In late 1883, Nora left Bunnell’s and hired sideshow manager W.K. Leary as her agent, then embarked on a tour in Mexico. Distraught over the absence of his wife, and perhaps his dwindling relevancy, Hildebrandt quickly spiraled into mental decline. Not long after, he was placed in the Ward’s Island asylum, where he died January 16, 1890. Hildebrandt’s flame did not burn out entirely, however.
In 1889, Nora married Brooklyn barber-saloonkeep Jacob Gunther (1852-1927), who was likewise covered in tattoos. Although by this time Martin Hildebrandt himself was no longer a force in the tattoo world, and Nora’s novelty had since faded, the Hildebrandt name was still known among show-goers. On stage, the handsomely tattooed couple gained a slight edge in their competitive niche, billing themselves, not as Mr. and Mrs. Gunther, but as Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrandt. The couple’s polished act was relatively short-lived, though. The Hildebrandt name was laid to rest when Nora contracted the flu and died April 1, 1893, and Jacob gave up show business.
See Carmen Nyssen’s feature article A Tattooed Affair: Earliest Tattooed Attractions
Samuel F. O’Reilly
As if on cue, the void left by Hildebrandt was quickly filled by rising Bowery star Samuel F. O’Reilly (1854-1909)—an apparent protégé of “Old Martin.” By 1888, the self-proclaimed Professor O’Reilly, had opened his first shop in the Chatham Square Dime Museum (5 Chatham Square). Like his mentor, he made his name by settling in one locale and building a solid reputation; he spent the bulk of his career at 5 Chatham Square, interrupted only by short stints at Huber’s Palace Museum and Worth’s Dime Museum, and a final move to 11 Chatham Square the last five years. As the ‘Champion tattooer of Chatham Square,’ O’Reilly enjoyed nationwide publicity, which he encouraged. (Click below image link).
From the beginning, he aimed to stand out in the, then, saturated dime show scene. Although many talented tattoo artists alighted the Bowery over the years, he was one who repeatedly pushed the boundaries of the trade. It was in O’Reilly’s tattoo ‘parlors’ that some of the most beautifully decorated tattooed attractions of the era were created. One of his first masterpieces was his younger brother, John F. O’Reilly (1862-?), whose eye-catching designs (and shared name) grandly advertised his ingenuity. By 1887, John was exhibiting as the ‘Tattooed Irishman’ and alleged to be the first person tattooed with brown ink. (Click below image link).
Electric Tattooing
While John’s tattoos were a testament to O’Reilly’s ambitious and innovative nature, his most trailblazing work was forthcoming. Only a couple years later, his all-star career met with serendipitous happenings that significantly influenced both the tattooing process and the tattoo trade as a whole. In the latter half of the 1880s, a period of rapid technological progression in America made thousands of electrical devices available to the general public. O’Reilly expertly integrated these modern age tools into the profession. By the late 1880s, tattooers had already begun experimenting with electric machines adapted from dental pluggers, stencil pens, and possibly doorbells, but it was O’Reilly who immediately realized their future impact on tattooing.
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In 1891, he shrewdly secured the very first (worldwide) patent for an electric tattoo machine—a clever measure that both legitimized the trade and established O’Reilly as the one and only inventor of the electric tattoo machine. It garnered him generous publicity and granted him sole claim to one of the most revolutionary innovations in tattooing. In actuality, the patent, a modified rotary stencil pen (based on Thomas Edison’s 1876 patent) was probably not that practical; he himself admitted that only a few were even made and his one-time partner, later rival, ‘Electric’ Elmer Getchell, challenged him on this count in a 1899-1900 court battle. Still, O’Reilly earned his legacy. In the years to come, he continued experimenting with faster, more effective tattoo machinery, and sold his fabrications to fellow tradesman. (Click below image link).
With his inventions, which allowed for greater technique and nuance in less time than the slow-going handpoke method, O’Reilly daringly tattooed some of the finest specimen of the day—several before his patent was even in place. In 1889 and 1891 respectively, he introduced spectacularly tattooed attractions Tom Sidonia (1869-1954) and George Mellivan (1856-1919) to audiences. Also, in 1890, the dashing George Karlavagn (aka George Kelly) (1868-1951) took to the stage, exhibiting exquisitely composed designs, including the evocative words, “Tattooed by O’Reilly,” boldly emblazoned on his back. A culmination of O’Reilly’s artistry, innovativeness, and knack for self-promotion, these first electrically tattooed men, an evolution of the trade-specific tattooed attraction, proved his unrivaled genius, as well as, electric tattooing’s potential for the trade. (Click below image link).
Evolution of Tattooing
As with Old Hildebrandt’s tattooed ladies, O’Reilly could not corner the market on electric tattoo machines forever. The very promotion of his machines instigated a major upsurge in business for America’s most motivated tattooers, who hustled to implement and profit from ever-more-efficient machinery. Beyond the moneymaking aspect, electric tattooing opened the trade to a whole new level of artistry, defined by dexterous, modernized tools. More deftly covered tattooed attractions served as impressive advertisements for the ongoing progression, concurrently reinforcing the idea of tattooing as a trade.
In about a decade and a half—from the moment the first trade-specific tattooed man was introduced to the dime show stage to the time O’Reilly obtained the first tattoo machine patent—the tattoo trade progressed in exponential proportions. However, as instrumental as this period was in furthering the trade, it was only a prelude of what was yet to come. In preserving New York’s honorable tattooing traditions, O’Reilly handed-down his knowledge to a prodigious pupil named (1875-1953), whose innovativeness—along with other opportune influences and circumstances—propelled the trade out of the dime show and on to extraordinary horizons. (Click below image link).
For related Bowery Tattoo History researched by Carmen Forquer Nyssen see:
TTT: Tattoo. By Maxime Buschi & Nicholas Schonberger.
Feature Article: Ever-Evolving Tattoo Machines by Carmen Forquer Nyssen pg. 496-499 (research on the emergence of electrical tattooing)
Willy Moskowitz: Bowery-Barber Tattoo Artist. In the Shadows: The People’s History of New York City Underground Tattooing. Tribal Publishing, 2023. Print. Authored by Carmen Forquer Nyssen. (2nd full feature article, after introduction, in this 600 page groundbreaking anthology of New York Tattoo History).
Buzzworthy Tattoo History feature articles, New York City Bowery:
Bowery Tattoo History Tattoo Articles, Bowery Tattoo History Blog
Buzzworthy Tattoo History Feature: Journey Through Tattoo History (Click below image link).
Questions or Comments? Email:
carmennyssen@buzzworthytattoo.com
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