Betty Broadbent
Betty Broadbent (born in 1909) became the youngest female sideshow tattooing attraction in the world after quitting her job as a baby sitter in Atlantic City at the age of 17.
Her first showbiz job came about when she appeared as ‘Spidora’ the illusionist – later to become a tattooed women after she was told she could earn very good money by doing so.
But first she had to become completely covered in tattooing - so she headed off to New York and got tattooed by Joe Van Hart and Charlie Wagner - with three of her most famous tattoos being of Charles Lindbergh, the Madonna and baby on her back and Pancho Villa.
After this Betty made her first appearance for the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey circus’s in 1927 - billed as the ‘Tattooed Venus. In 1939 she went to the worlds fair and entered the first ever televised female beauty contest – she didn’t win but she gained a lot of free publicity by showing off her tattooed body.
Betty’s last appearance as a sideshow star came in 1967 with the Clyde Beatty circus – After which she retired to train small show animals in Tampa, Florida – Betty always said that the her two biggest highlights in showbiz was touring Australia and becoming the first person ever to be inducted into the San Francisco tattooing hall of fame on the 5th of August 1981 – Betty Broadbent passed away on the 28th of March 1983.
Copyright Paul Sayce
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