American Judith Lukas has done a wonderful job of remembering with her book "Tattooing to Perfection". By reconstructing the history of her grandparents, John T. Clark and his wife Bertha, who lived in the 19th/20th century, Ms Lukas - with the help of tattoo artist Nicholas York - rehabilitates a couple forgotten in the history of tattooing. The man, Professor Clark, finds his place among the pioneering tattoo artists in South Africa, a region of the world that has remained off the radar of the great history of the craft. Without a profession, a chicken farmer, a soldier, a miner, he became the only tattooer in Johannesburg and a friend of the famous English tattooist George Burchett. This research, which has been going on for decades, is based on the considerable amount of period documents kept by the family. Photos, letters, professional business cards, newspaper articles, but also flash books made by Clark himself, or acquired during his life, are reproduced in the book. It is thus a mine of information for historians and researchers. But it is first and foremost a fascinating read for enthusiasts. Unique, without known equivalent, "Tattooing to Perfection" is a landmark.
You say you met Lyle Tuttle in the course of your research for this book 25 years ago! What is the history of this project and how long have you been working on it?
I have been collecting information about my grandparents for decades. For example, I requested John Clark's Spanish American War records about 20 years ago and have been looking for relatives on Ancestry for longer than that. In the early 1990s when we were living in Los Angeles, I saw an article on Burchett that said Lyle had purchased the lot of Burchett's works and I sent him a fax (this was before email.).
Your grandfather worked with him for several years in his studio in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Yes. Lyle responded right away and stopped by my house one day when he was in town for a convention. He saw that I had a real collection. A while later, he invited me to his house in Ukiah to see his Burchett materials. He left me in his garage with boxes of material and I was delighted to find the original Burchett artwork for the Paul Kruger tattoo on Clark's head. I offered to purchase the piece but Lyle refused but he did give me a photocopy, which is in the book. Lyle was a true gentleman and warned me that some of the photos might be of naked people, in case I was sensitive. Through the years, Lyle would pass relevant info he found and we got together occasionally when we were in the same locations. Lyle stopped in for a visit, just weeks before his death when we lived in Santa Rosa, California which is mid-way between his house in Ukiah and San Francisco.
It all starts with this trunk in which your grandfather's belongings are kept after his death, by his wife Bertha. Tell us about it.
The trunk was in our basement in our home in Chicago. My grandmother Bertha (Princess Beatrice) lived in a boarding house in Canada and had no room for the trunk so my father stored it at our house. When Bertha died in 1958 – I was 10 -, he opened it and threw away many items but gave somethings to my brother and the rest to me. I was a small child and played with the letters and photos as I was growing up. I was most impressed with how handsome my grandfather was and was fascinated by the letters my father had written to my uncle when he was very young. My father had no interest in any of the items and I don't even think he looked at them before he gave them to me. No other members of my family had a strong interest in the family history either, but when my brother passed away, his items came back to me so my collection is almost complete. I don't know what happened to the actual trunk but it was an ordinary trunk used by people when they travelled by ship.
The book opens with a dedication to Bertha, your grandmother and Clark’s wife. It says you have kept your promise. What was she?
I don’t say it in the book because I didn't want people to think I was crazy but many years ago, I had a dream where I told Bertha that I would make sure Clark had his proper place in history and she said “Thank you”.
Why was it so important for you to get Clark back to that place and what place is that?
I knew my grandfather's collection was very important to tattoo history. He tattooed in South Africa, a country that just didn't get much attention in the tattoo history world.
After decades of book work, after meeting many tattooers, what conclusion did you finally come to regarding the question of Clark's place in the history of tattooing?
Clark was an industry pioneer in South Africa and was bold in putting himself forward in the tattoo business there. He seized opportunity, partnered with Burchett and even tattooed whippet dogs for racing. Had he been in England or the United States and had he stayed in one place to develop a clientele there, I believe he would have been recognized along with his more well known contemporaries.
How could we sum up your grandfather's life until he became a tattoo artist ?
Without a profession and with only his father's guidance in life, Clark made a living doing whatever came his way. The Spanish-American War (1898) attracted many young men and he was just one of them joining up. I don't know if he planned on fighting in the Boer War (1899-1902, conflict in South Africa between England and two local independent Republics) but he took up the job on the horse and mule transport ship to South Africa
Clark, once in South Africa, left the army and became a tattooist in 1906. But you say that he actually started as an amateur in 1903. How did Clark learn about the trade?
I think Clark first saw tattooing in the port town of Galveston (Texas seaside town where Clark grew up; the town was devastated by a storm in 1900) on sailors and then during his time in the US Army and later in the British Army. He never had a profession as a younger man and just did laborer work or odd jobs so the idea of developing a skill with some prestige appealed to him. The British upper class were getting tattoos, the fashion became popular and there were many British in South Africa. As for identification in the British Army, it was more likely having your regimental crest tattooed than for individual identification. At that time in history, anybody could easily buy tattoo kits. They probably had to buy supplies from England or the USA, however, or from Clark or other tattoo artists. In the book, I include some receipts from Novelties, a store in England that sold pigments and needles.
The context was therefore favourable for those who wanted to enter the profession.
Yes, tattooing was popular among upper and middle-class people, especially British. King George was tattooed as was Jennie Churchill (mother of Winston Churchill). Many Boers were religiously opposed to tattoos, but not all. I believe he saw tattooing as a means of earning a living during the Boer War. Clark did what the customers wanted but don't think he specialized in the wealthy classes like Burchett did. Burchett had more fame than he did.
Clark probably opened his first studio in 1906 and even claimed in 1908 to be the only tattooist in Johannesburg. In photographs he is seen well dressed in a suit, clean and tidy. Business seemed good and he seemed to enjoy a comfortable position. Can we say that he is successful?
Many of the old-timers wanted to maintain a classy image. Life was good in Johannesburg and Clark seemed prosperous enough. He never bought property, however.
In 1910, he had an incredible encounter with a young and inexperienced tattooist, and moreover on the other side of the world: George Burchett, the greatest tattooist of the time, with whom he became friends.
Yes, they must have got on well. There weren't many tattoo artists in Johannesburg at the time. Burchett came to spend a few months and ended up staying for three years. If he was busy enough to stay in South Africa for a couple of years, then business was good.
You said you met many tattoo artists during your research, what did they say about the flashes Clark drew himself?
His work progressed with time. Some of his early designs are a bit primitive but later ones are much more skilful. He was drawing for commercial purposes so he had to consider the motifs popular at the time. I am told Clark developed his unique style.
Clark was excessively tattooed, tell us about his tattoos.
Clark had a large tattoo of Saint George and the Dragon on his back and a patriotic design on his chest. Around his waist was an ornamental belt that read "J.T. Clark Tattoo Artist" and meets in the small of his back a cherubic head with wings. He also had Japanese demon faces on his back calves and ornamental sock designs on his lower legs. And, of course, the famous portrait of Paul Kruger on his head. It's important for people to understand that at the time, Paul Kruger's image was as recognisable as Queen Victoria's. I don't think his tattoos represented anything personal, but rather designs that were considered elegant. Paul Kruger's tattoo is puzzling because it is on the head of a former soldier who fought with the British against the Boers. All of these tattoos were done by Burchett, except for a couple of designs on his left arm, which may have been done by Clark himself.
In 1913, just as everything seemed to be working for him, Clark sold his shop to Burchett and returned to the United States at the age of 42. How to explain it?
In 1913, something changed in South Africa. I suspect that there was political unrest and fear of native population uprising so the family decided to return to the USA. Burchett didn't stay much longer. Edith and the children had left some time before.
Clark had his whole body tattooed by Burchett, he also tattooed his wife - who was to be called Princess Beatrice. Clark seemed to be aware of the opportunities offered by the tattoo world of the time and that of showing himself off in circuses as he would later do.
Side shows were very popular and there was good money to be made exhibiting and tattooing. Burchett tattooed Clark in 1912 so Clark was tattooing for several years before he got the idea of being a tattooed attraction himself. I was unable to gain access to the South African newspapers of the era so I can't say what Clark may have seen but American newspapers of the day were quite descriptive when covering circuses and other shows. Burchett was kept busy enough to stay in South Africa for a few years so we can conclude that business was good.
Could Clark have had such a plan in mind when he left Johannesburg?
I don't think they had any plan after leaving Johannesburg except to continue looking for tattoo and side show opportunities. I spoke to Chuck Eldridge ((Amercian tattooer and researcher working on the history of tattooing at the Tattoo Archive) about work opportunities in Chicago, where Clark and the family settled. Chuck said there was plenty of work in the town. Why Clark didn't set up a shop in Chicago or join an established shop is unknown.
Clark then found work in the circuses as a tattooed attraction. What was life for a tattooed attraction in a circus like this?
Clark toured with Ringling Bros (one of the largest circuses in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries). for just one season. I don't know the rate of pay but he would have been given room and board and was able to keep any money he made by tattooing customers. I show his fellow exhibitors in the book and they must have made very interesting company. Clark did indeed continue tattooing and exhibiting until his death in 1918.
Let's talk about the couple your grandparents were, what was their relationship like?
I had very limited contact with Bertha and was very young when I did. From correspondence, it sure looks like my grandparents were very fond of each other. My grandmother was severely impacted by the loss of her family in the Storm of 1900 in Galveston and had a hard time adjusting. It was hard for her to see her sons married with their own families and she was happier away from them. After Clark's death (he died in 1918 of bilharzia, a parasitic disease), my grandmother lost all of her income and I can't imagine there were any savings. They did not own any property. When she was widowed, Bertha would have been considered almost old for performing and a woman alone in a side show would not have been safe from sexual predators. My father (Bertha’s son) was put to work for his room and board on a farm in Canada when he was twelve years old.
The circumstances in which your grandmother, who has just drawn her cards, finds her husband, far from her and just before he dies, are very surprising. Did she have a gift?
The family has always believed that Bertha was a medium. Something I don't emphasize in the book.
Bertha never intended to tattoo for a living, as did Maud Wagner, the wife of Gus Wagner, two well-known contemporary tattoo artists?
Bertha was brought up in a middle class household and never expected to ever have to work for a living. She most certainly had social graces and understood her role of being a wife but she never thought she would have to support herself financially. After her first husband died, she would have gone to live with her mother but they all died a few years before in the Storm of 1900. Then she married Clark. Maybe she tried her hand at tattooing and found she lacked the skill or maybe the clientele was too rough for a lady where Clark worked. Also, the social climate was different in the United States and South Africa. Bertha was around 40 years old when Clark died but I imagine the marital prospects of a tattooed lady in Canada were limited and she did not marry again.
The end of Bertha's life was rather sad; she lived in a certain poverty. Her death is also the subject of a very striking anecdote. Bertha refused to reveal the location of her grave for fear that someone would dig it up and remove her tattooed skin! What was this belief based on?
Bertha's later life was sad. She spent some time with her two sons' families but she never got along well. Women in her circumstances would have been expected to live with family but it didn't work out well due to her temperament. She preferred to live in Canada with friends she had met over the years. My father regularly sent money and visited a few times. I don't know if there was a real threat to her body being exhumed for her tattooed skin or if it was just a personal fear. She may have read stories about Nazis using tattooed skin for lampshades or some other horrors and was disturbed by them. + www.tattooingtoperfection.com Instagram : @tattooingtoperfection @prof.york
