Bray & Co. Auctions – Tattoo, Circus, Sideshow & Curiosities
Sunday, August 25th, 10AM
PREVIEW | August 22-24, 10am-5pm
BID IN PERSON OR ONLINE | www.brayco.com
info@brayco.com | (603) 427-8281
55 Green Street, Portsmouth, NH

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — On August 25, Bray & Co Auctions will sell an array of historic tattoo folk art and related material. This inaugural event features rare original artwork, early sideshow banners, graphic ephemera, vernacular photography, lighted signs and other important material from foundational figures in tattoo, circus, sideshow and magic history.

Among the offerings is a book of hand-painted tattoo designs used by a traveling Japanese artist during the Meiji era. Created for a western audience, it contains 100 pages of popular American, British and Australian motifs of the period, alongside dozens of traditional Japanese images — bearded dragons, grotesque demon heads and sumptuously-robed geishas. The book is signed by early Japanese tattoo artist K. Yamasaki and was consigned by an owner in Yokohama.

Also featured are several important collections descended through the families of pioneering tattoo artists. Leading the way is a tattoo time capsule, the shop of Baltimore’s “Tattoo Charlie” Geizer (1905-1980). Geizer began tattooing with carnivals in Texas around 1918 and opened his landmark shop in Baltimore during World War II. Following his death in 1980, his apprentice packed up the entire contents of the shop and put it into storage, where it has remained until now. It is a breathtaking assemblage of paintings, signs, manuscripts and more from one of America’s most famous tattoo artists. The collection includes handwritten registries containing the names and information of every person legally tattooed in Baltimore from 1953 to 1977.

Equally compelling is the Art Deco workstation made and used by Milwaukee tattoo artist Amund Dietzel (1891-1974). It is among the most significant artifacts in the history of American tattooing and has been displayed in major exhibitions at the Milwaukee Art Museum (2013) and Swedish American Historical Museum (2022). It was against this spectacular pink backdrop that Dietzel inked thousands of eagles, anchors and panthers on the chests and arms of sailors from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. His name, cut in wood, is featured prominently below the center panel.

Bidding for Bray & Co’s August Auction is available by phone, absentee bid and live online at www.brayco.com. Preview is August 22-24, 10 am to 5 pm. Bray & Co is at 55 Green Street. For information, www.brayco.com or 603-427-8281.