The Introduction of Dr. Ellis’ Tattooing the World touches precisely on (and further explores) the
topic of my post last week – the incorporation of outsiders into the tattooing
tradition. The story of James O’Connell is a fascinating one, especially since
my father spent years doing research on the Australian-Irish connection (I
delved into O’Connell’s biographical book a bit more and learned that at the
time of the shipwreck, he was en route either to or from Sydney, it’s unclear),
giving me a personal interest in O’Connell’s story. However, two other elements
in his tale struck me; first, that his being tattooed by women so affected
American reactions to his markings due to gender inequality at the time, and
second, just how similar the beginning of his biographical account is to O.E.
Parker’s story.
While
it is easy to see why such unusually extensive (for the time period, at least)
tattooing may have alarmed conservative Americans, the negative reaction to
women as tattoo artists is absurd, though oddly logical in light of the strict
gender roles at the time. The fact that any form of non-sexual penetration would
even affect gender roles and hence be problematic in the eyes of
traditionalists shows both how much further Americans (though I fear “Americans”
may be an over-generalization) have been able to open their minds in the
century since O’Connell, and how much more forward-thinking O’Connell’s
“savages” were than the “civilized” people of the United States. In light of
the reactions, however, I do find it commendable that O’Connell chose to be
honest about the women who had tattooed rather than twist the story to make
himself seem more masculine, or whatever it was that the traditionalists
believed he was not after being “penetrated” by a woman.
On
a different note, I saw a striking resemblance between O’Connell’s story and
Parker’s reflections on his own tattoo obsession. While there is the obvious
connection – Parker becomes enthralled by the concept after attending a circus
and seeing a tattooed man, an occupation O’Connell himself seems to have
pioneered – O’Connell’s own introduction includes a similar reflection. His
first memory, he claims, is of attending a circus as a small child, like
Parker. Though he does not see a tattooed man at the time, he is taken in by
the atmosphere and performers, saying (when told that his mother is one of
them) “I would not have exchanged my parentage for that of a duke.”[1]
While their inspirations and motivations are different, both Parker’s and O’Connell’s
experiences highlight a certain quality that may explain both of their
affinities for tattoos. It seems that, as Dr. Ellis also suggests in the
Introduction, they both, on some level, harbor a deep desire to perform, to
shock or to dazzle their spectators. The only difference is that O’Connell
performed for thousands through his act, while despite his best efforts, Parker
could not dazzle his audience of one.
[1] The Life and
Adventures of James F. O’Connell the Tattooed Man, by James F. O’Connell; 1845;
W. Applegate, New York. http://publicdomainreview.org/2013/07/30/the-life-and-adventures-of-james-f-oconnell-the-tattooed-man-1845/#sthash.d5tA5MYt.dpuf
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