Betty Broadbent (November 1, 1909 – March 28, 1983), also known as the “Tattooed Venus”, is regarded as the most photographed

tattooed lady Tattooed ladies were working class women who acquired tattoos and performed in circuses, sideshows, and dime show museums as means for earning a substantial living. At the height of their popularity during the turn of the 20th century, tattooed ...

of the 20th century. She also worked as a

tattoo artist A tattoo artist (also tattooer or tattooist) is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a "tattoo shop", "tattoo studio" or "tattoo parlour". Tattoo artists usually learn their craft via an ...

. In 1981, she was the first person to be inducted into the Tattoo Hall of Fame.

Early life

Broadbent was born Sue Lillian Brown in Zellwood,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Her parents were from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

when she was a child.

Career

Broadbent’s interest in tattooing began at the age of fourteen, when, while working as a nanny in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

, she met Jack Redcloud on the boardwalk.Alan Govenar, Tattooing in American Culture, 1846–1966, in Caplan, J. (2000). Written on the body: The tattoo in European and American history / edited by Jane Caplan. London: Reaktion. Redcloud was covered in tattoos, which fascinated Broadbent. This fascination would lead Redcloud to introduce Broadbent to his tattoo artist, Charlie Wagner. In 1927, Wagner, alongside several other tattoo artists, including Tony Rhineagear, Joe Van Hart, and Red Gibbons (husband of fellow tattooed performer Artoria Gibbons), tattooed a bodysuit of over 565 tattoos on Broadbent. Charlie Wagner was friends with the circus man Clyde Ingalls. When Ingalls discovered Broadbent’s passion for tattooing, he offered her a position at the circus. In the same year, Broadbent began exhibiting her art with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. While working at the circus, Broadbent also trained as a steer rider who would perform with circus performer

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western (genre), Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were s ...

. Later in Broadbent’s career, she learned how to ride horses and mules. In addition to exhibiting her art, Broadbent worked as a tattoo artist. She worked in shops across the country, including in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In 1937, she began to work internationally. She spent time working for independent circuses in both

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

.TATTOOED LADY HERE FOR SHOW (1938, February 22). The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931–1954), p. 10. Retrieved July 17, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article247398846 After her return home to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and until her retirement in 1967, she continued to perform and travel with a sideshow. While working in a sideshow in 1939, Broadbent challenged the traditional views of beauty for women during the 1930s by participating in a beauty pageant at the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

. Broadbent died in her sleep while living in Florida on March 28, 1983.Braunberger, Christine. "Revolting Bodies: The Monster Beauty of Tattooed Women." Feminist Formations 12.2 (2000): 1–23.

Artwork

Broadbent’s tattoos varied in theme. On Broadbent’s back, she had a tattoo of the Madonna and child. The art on her lower limbs included a tattoo of

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

on her right leg and a tattoo of

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

on her left. One of Broadbent’s more famous tattoos took over six sittings, a spread-eagle that stretched from one shoulder to the other. On May 3 of 1939, the New York Times quoted Broadbent stating, “It hurt something awful, but it was worth it.”

Early life

Career

Artwork

See also

References

Further reading