Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

Step Right Up: Circus and Sideshow Memorabilia

Thu, Sep 3, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-09-03 11:00:00 2026-09-03 11:00:00 America/New_York Potter & Potter Auctions Potter & Potter Auctions : Step Right Up: Circus and Sideshow Memorabilia https://auction.potterauctions.com/auctions/potter-potter/step-right-up-circus-and-sideshow-memorabilia-23625
Featuring the collection of lifelong circus collector John Diesso, this auction includes heralds, couriers, and posters advertising the "greatest shows" of yesteryear. Photographs, route books, scrapbooks, and circus costumes will be also be offered, spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A wide array of early European circus posters will be sold, along with a large library of circus books of several thousand volumes.
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Lot 227

[TATTOO]. CDV of Capt. Harry Decoursey, Tattooed Man. Circa 1880s.

Estimate: $250 - $350
Starting Bid
$125

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[TATTOO]. CDV of Capt. Harry Decoursey, Tattooed Man. New York: Charles Eisenmann, ca. 1880s. Albumen print on studio mount. 4 1/8 x 2 1/2".

Decoursey’s tattoos were done by the well-known early American tattoo artists Martin Hildebrandt and Stephen Lee. Hildebrandt is generally believed to have opened the first tattoo parlor in New York City. Decoursey performed in dime museums in New York City, presenting himself in a style reminiscent of Captain Costentenus.

Condition

Bottom right corner with crease, minor edgewear, and spotting. Good.

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