Portrait of Circus Performer and Tattooed Man George Karlavagn, circa 1885

01

Artifact Overview

George Karlavagn, "The Champion Tattooed Boy," appears here circa 1885. After retiring from the Sells Brothers Circus as a sideshow attraction, Karlavagn operated a hotel in Philadelphia. In 1910, he worked alongside George H. Lawson to found the first racially-integrated baseball league, the United States League.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Cabinet photograph

Subject Date

circa 1885

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

91.266.15

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Cardboard

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 6.5 in
Width: 4.25 in

Inscriptions

front, printed: Eisenmann, Photo Artist New York verso, handwritten: Geo. Karlavagn age 20