Bearded Ladies, Depictions of

Morbid Anatomy reader Oliver Lux recently send me a photograph (see above, top) of the delightful bearded lady tattoo which graces his chest; The tattoo brought to mind one of one of my favorite models in the now-open-to-the-public Exquisite Bodies exhibition at the Wellcome (bottom image) which I include here for comparison's sake (bottom image).

I asked Oliver to write a bit about his lovely tattoo and the story behind it. In his own words:

The tattoo on Olivier Lux’s chest, living in Belgium and Morbid Anatomy’s great fan, was tattooed by One More Tattoo Studio in Luxemburg-City. It represents Annie Jones Elliot, a well known bearded lady who I chose because of her particular femininity. The « tattooed guy » also collects all manner of things relating to other bearded ladies, especially Clémentine Delait of France.

For reminder (thanks Wikipedia!), Annie Jones-Elliot (c. 1860 – 1902) was an American bearded woman, born in Virginia. She toured with showman P. T. Barnum as a circus attraction. It is unconfirmed if this was a case of Hirsutism or an unrelated genetic condition that affects children of both sexes and continues into adult years.

Thanks so much, Oliver, for sending this photo and story along.