Horace Ridler

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Horace Ridler

Horace Leonard Ridler (born March 26, 1892 in Surrey , † 1969 in Sussex ) was a professional sideshow performer who presented himself as The Great Omi or The Zebra Man because of his eye-catching tattoos . "The most famous tattooed man of this period was Horace Ridler."

Life

Horace Leonard Ridler claims to have been born outside of London and enjoyed a relatively privileged childhood of travel, private education and comfort. In the 1901 census, a Horace Ridler is registered as a boarder at the Bedford School under the direction of Charles Fredrick Farrer. There are two competing theories about his young life. In one version, he is said to have graduated with honors from Oxford or Cambridge . In the second version, he instead pursued a career in the army. On September 9, 1915, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant from Sergeant Lance, according to the London Gazette of September 27, 1915 . In 1922 he left the Army as a major . He got his first picturesque tattoos and began to present himself as a freak in small theaters.

In 1934 he contacted the tattoo artist George Burchett and asked if he could "get tattooed anywhere". Burchett tattooed Ridler for more than 150 hours. A pattern of curved black stripes, which are often described as zebra- like, was created on the upper body and face , covering the earlier tattoos.

On June 6, 1939, Ridler, who was now called The great Omi, traveled with his wife Omette to the World's Fair in Queens and performed there with Betty Broadbent in the John Hix Odditorium . From 1940, Omi toured for one season with the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus . In early 1941, Omi toured both Australia and New Zealand, spending most of the year on the Happyland beach show and Bert Lorous Jr.'s "World Fair Freaks" show in Vancouver . He finished his appearances on the Rubin-Cherry Show in San Diego in 1941 . In early 1942 he returned to England with his wife. Before leaving America he attempted to re-enlist in the British Army but was not accepted for active service by the British Consul. Omi continued until the early 1950s, and at the height of his fame retired to Ripe , a small village in Sussex , England, where he died in 1969.

Movie

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ CW Eldridge, Harriet Cohen, Eric McKay: The Great Omi . Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ Randy Johnson, Teddy Varndell, Johnny Meah, Jim Secreto: Freaks, Geeks, and Strange Girls: Sideshow Banners of the Great American Midway Last Gasp 2005, ISBN 0-867-1962-2X .
  3. ↑ HORACE RIDLER (1892–1969) Tattooed Sideshow Performer April 26, 2010 Retrieved August 19, 2019
  4. ^ Margo De Mello : Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World. ABC-CLIO 2014, ISBN 1-610-6907-61 , p. 81.
  5. ↑ Margo DeMello: Encyclopedia of Body Adornment. ABC-CLIO 2007, ISBN 0-313-3369-54 , p. 134 ff.
personal data
SURNAME Ridler, Horace
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ridler, Horace Leonard (full name); The Great Omi, The Zebra Man
BRIEF DESCRIPTION professional showman
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Surrey
DATE OF DEATH 1969
Place of death Sussex