Cabinet Card of Miss Irene Woodward

Item Details

Chicago, Illinois, 1875

Fair

Cabinet card with printed signature of Miss Irene Woodward, “America’s Original Tattooed Lady”. Known as La Belle Irene, she toured America and Europe. She claimed variously to have been tattooed by her father or abducted by tribesmen in the “South Seas”, she was actually tattooed by Samuel F. O’Reilly. Woodward’s fame traces to the golden age of the “freak show”, in which iconic figures considered strange by the general public were made a spectacle. Her partial nudity necessary for observation of her tattoos contributed to her magnetic appeal, which she balanced for the Media with charm and intelligence. This image shows Woodward casually posing with her arms exposed. Printed below the image is her signature with "America's Original Tattooed Lady".

Damage across top right corner/edges but otherwise good.  

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