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79
(Boston, ca. 1910)
Frank Howard Tattoo Shop Advertising Flier
Showing the front of Frank Howard's famed tattoo shop at 151 and 153 Court Street, Boston, Massachusetts, ca. 1910. Howard's studio, located on the second floor, was covered with large, boldly painted signs, including one declaring him "Barnum and Bailey's Original Tattooed Man." Printed on paper.
Frank Howard: Barnum & Bailey's Original Tattooed Man
Bray & Co. is honored to present, for the first time, an exceptional collection from the Boston shop of Frank Howard, America's foremost early tattooed performer and entrepreneur. This historic offering includes the only known surviving signed artwork by Frank Howard, as well as rare ephemera and photo postcards of other tattooed performers in Howard's orbit. Fellow Boston tattoo artist Edward "Dad" Liberty acquired these items when he moved into Howard's iconic Court Street shop after Howard's death in 1925. They have remained in the Liberty family's private collection until now.
Frank Howard was born Franklin Howard Packard in Providence, Rhode Island in 1857. He followed his father into the jewelry trade, but by 1880, Frank and his young bride Annie were living in Chicago, where Frank worked as a laborer, debt collector and florist, and Annie worked as a confectioner.
Early in 1884, Frank Packard took a spectacular leap of faith. Placing himself at the mercy of William Bender, a petty criminal and roving tattooer known as "Providence Dutch," Frank underwent the painful process of having a full suit of tattoos hand-pricked into his skin. Bender probably gave Annie her elegantly ornamented limbs, chest and back around this time, too.
Thus transformed, Franklin Packard, the Chicago oddjobber, became Frank Howard, the Original Tattooed Man. He and Annie often performed together, billing themselves as "Frank and Annie Howard, the Marvelous Tattooed People," and touting themselves as "the only married tattooed couple on exhibition."
Over the next two years the Howards trouped extensively with such shows as Miller, Stowe & Freeman; Cook & Whitby's; the Great Wallace Show; and the Mohawk Valley Circus. Winters were spent on the dime museum circuit in Milwaukee, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Worcester, Massachusetts. They hit the big time in March of 1888, opening the circus season in Madison Square Garden with Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, then traveling with the show on the famous circus's first and only nationwide tour. Annie Howard made history on this junket; she was the first tattooed lady to tour with Barnum & Bailey.
The Howards toured on the circus and dime museum circuits through 1896, performing solo or in "congresses" of tattooed people, as husband and wife, brother and sister, as children or twins—whatever drew a paying crowd. In 1897 the limelight found them again: they were feature acts in Barnum & Bailey's inaugural European tour. While in London, Frank published the first ever supply catalog offering electric tattoo machines, expanding and formalizing a mail-order supply business he had begun more than a decade earlier.
Frank and Annie returned to the United States in 1902, where they continued performing with Barnum & Bailey at Madison Square Garden. By 1904 they had settled in Boston. While Annie continued to perform as "the Tattooed Venus" at local dime museums, Frank retired from the stage. In 1905 he set up a tattoo shop at 116 Court Street with tattooer and machinist Ed Smith. The partnership of Smith & Howard advertised mail-order tattoo machines and supplies, as well as "Men and Women Tattooed for Exhibition." By 1906 the duo was ensconced at 151 - 153 Court Street, occupying the second floors of both addresses. Frank Howard stayed at this location for the remainder of his career, presiding over Scollay Square's gritty entertainment district for nearly two decades.
Frank Howard's success in the precarious vocation of tattooing was unmatched in turn-of-the-century America. Parlaying international fame as a tattooed performer into a lucrative career as a tattoo artist, shop proprietor and dealer in tattoo supplies, Howard redefined the boundaries of early professional tattooing. We are proud to offer these evocative proofs of Frank Howard's historic achievement.
Frank Howard: Barnum & Bailey's Original Tattooed Man
Bray & Co. is honored to present, for the first time, an exceptional collection from the Boston shop of Frank Howard, America's foremost early tattooed performer and entrepreneur. This historic offering includes the only known surviving signed artwork by Frank Howard, as well as rare ephemera and photo postcards of other tattooed performers in Howard's orbit. Fellow Boston tattoo artist Edward "Dad" Liberty acquired these items when he moved into Howard's iconic Court Street shop after Howard's death in 1925. They have remained in the Liberty family's private collection until now.
Frank Howard was born Franklin Howard Packard in Providence, Rhode Island in 1857. He followed his father into the jewelry trade, but by 1880, Frank and his young bride Annie were living in Chicago, where Frank worked as a laborer, debt collector and florist, and Annie worked as a confectioner.
Early in 1884, Frank Packard took a spectacular leap of faith. Placing himself at the mercy of William Bender, a petty criminal and roving tattooer known as "Providence Dutch," Frank underwent the painful process of having a full suit of tattoos hand-pricked into his skin. Bender probably gave Annie her elegantly ornamented limbs, chest and back around this time, too.
Thus transformed, Franklin Packard, the Chicago oddjobber, became Frank Howard, the Original Tattooed Man. He and Annie often performed together, billing themselves as "Frank and Annie Howard, the Marvelous Tattooed People," and touting themselves as "the only married tattooed couple on exhibition."
Over the next two years the Howards trouped extensively with such shows as Miller, Stowe & Freeman; Cook & Whitby's; the Great Wallace Show; and the Mohawk Valley Circus. Winters were spent on the dime museum circuit in Milwaukee, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Worcester, Massachusetts. They hit the big time in March of 1888, opening the circus season in Madison Square Garden with Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, then traveling with the show on the famous circus's first and only nationwide tour. Annie Howard made history on this junket; she was the first tattooed lady to tour with Barnum & Bailey.
The Howards toured on the circus and dime museum circuits through 1896, performing solo or in "congresses" of tattooed people, as husband and wife, brother and sister, as children or twins—whatever drew a paying crowd. In 1897 the limelight found them again: they were feature acts in Barnum & Bailey's inaugural European tour. While in London, Frank published the first ever supply catalog offering electric tattoo machines, expanding and formalizing a mail-order supply business he had begun more than a decade earlier.
Frank and Annie returned to the United States in 1902, where they continued performing with Barnum & Bailey at Madison Square Garden. By 1904 they had settled in Boston. While Annie continued to perform as "the Tattooed Venus" at local dime museums, Frank retired from the stage. In 1905 he set up a tattoo shop at 116 Court Street with tattooer and machinist Ed Smith. The partnership of Smith & Howard advertised mail-order tattoo machines and supplies, as well as "Men and Women Tattooed for Exhibition." By 1906 the duo was ensconced at 151 - 153 Court Street, occupying the second floors of both addresses. Frank Howard stayed at this location for the remainder of his career, presiding over Scollay Square's gritty entertainment district for nearly two decades.
Frank Howard's success in the precarious vocation of tattooing was unmatched in turn-of-the-century America. Parlaying international fame as a tattooed performer into a lucrative career as a tattoo artist, shop proprietor and dealer in tattoo supplies, Howard redefined the boundaries of early professional tattooing. We are proud to offer these evocative proofs of Frank Howard's historic achievement.
4 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (11.4 x 21.6 cm.)
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Condition: Small tears to left and right sides.
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Items can be picked up in person by appointment only at our gallery at 55 Green Street in Portsmouth, NH. Please contact us at least 24 hours in advance of pickup. *All first-time buyers that wish to pick items up in person must pay with cash.
August 25, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Portsmouth, NH, US
Bray & Co. Auctions
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|---|---|---|
| $0 | $499 | $25 |
| $500 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
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