the circus

4

Naturally, the circus is not the only place where tattoo-exhibitionism is tied up with the profit motive. Tattooinghad been tried in America as a straight advertising medium." I once undertook," reminisced the late Frank Howard," totattoo a man for a popular cigar store- he was to be a livingpanorama of pictures of the store in question, to be shownat the fairs." Wagner recalls a tattoo- ad of a drive- yourself-garage he did on the back of a bathing- beach frequenter. Incertain American seaport- cities many business men think itgood business policy to have tattooed marks on their handsor wrists where they can be readily seen by sailors and othercustomers. The latest touch was provided by one K. Maram-pus, the owner of a suit and dress repairing shop in NewYork, who last August ordered from Al Neville the tattoo ofa Blue Eagle for his chest, with that dramatic prosperity-restoring inscription: N. R. A.- We Do Our Part. He says hebares his chest before every customer. But the circus anddime- museum remain the main objectives of those who wishto exploit their tattoos for monetary returns.

At the present writing, there are about three hundredcompletely tattooed men and women in this country, making,or trying to make, a living by exhibiting themselves. Themodern annals of tattooed people exhibiting in America aremainly the story of woman's predominance. The circus man-agers found that tattooed girls mean a better box- office thantattooed men. They also found out from practical experiencethat the younger and the prettier these girls are the healthierthe receipts.

The workings of the mind of a young modern Americangirl, before she decides to have her body tattooed for thepurposes of commercial exhibition, are admirably illustrated

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