Tiger Trainer

Walt Kuhn created a sensation with his vivid portraits of showgirls, circus performers, and theatrical artists. In order to find models, Kuhn scoured the streets of New York, as well as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses, where he spent countless hours backstage. Once identified, the artist asked potential sitters to audition, parading them back and forth until he chose his subject. Kuhn then dressed the winner from his large costume collection. Many of the resulting portraits present their subject with an emotionless frontal gaze that is equally confrontational, hypnotic, and tinged with melancholy.