“The Greek Slave” was the first American sculpture in a natural size exposed and depicted a completely naked female figure
The statue (as shown in the picture below) with tattoos at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is half a meter high. Made from a papier-mâché, its title is “Kate Battle” and is an important part of American folk art.
But this is not the reason that makes the sculpture important. They are tattoos.
The sculpture, an old and yellowing figure, a private marketing tool originally created for a Philadelphia medical accessory manufacturer, such as patella and compression socks. The only note is that the statue is based on Hiram Powers’ The Greek Slave, undoubtedly the most famous of all American sculptures.
The ‘The Greek Slave“It was the first American sculpture in a natural size publicly exposed and depicted a completely naked female figure. Two versions of the sculpture traveled to the eastern United States from 1847 to 1851. It caused a dispute, not only because of nakedness, in which Powers gave a moral gloss, but also because his issue, which refers to the Greek struggle for independence in the 1820s. As a result, “The Greek Slave” quickly infiltrated popular culture. Its versions were decorated from chewing tobacco tins to shop windows.
However, tattoos, which was not common, were applied to “BattleShip Kate” by August “Cap” Coleman, the most famous tattoo artist in US history.
Coleman covered Kate’s body with an impressive repertoire of simple, boldly designed pictures in green, red and yellow. The random patterns that appear include a battleship (starts with its stomach), eagles, an elephant, anchors, crosses, flowers, flags, horses, a parrot, a snake, a skull and a mermaid. There is even a picture of Popeye the Sailor, the character of cartoon that made his first appearance in 1929.
Born near Cincinnati, Coleman was the son of a tattoo artist working on carnivals. Coleman was known as “the human gallery” because his body was covered with tattoos. Eventually, he settled in Norfolk, where he created his own “tattoojidiko”.
Coleman has never had a shortage of clientele because Norfolk had become an important naval port after the outbreak of World War I, so soldiers and US sailors always passed and stopped at his “Tattoojid”.
For a while, this statue, which was considered lost until it appeared in auction in 2014, adorned the window of the Coleman living room on the road. He called it “Kate of Sands Street Battalions” by the name of an infamous sex worker. His clientele would recognize the report: “Kate”, whose real name was Marion Reiss, he worked up and down the Sands Street in Brooklyn. She was known for her head tattoos to nails and for having sailors.
She died at 29. I don’t know anything else about her. But I like to remember her, and honor her through the hectic tribute paid by Coleman.
Source :Skai
I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
