Lottie "The Body" Tatum-Graves-Claiborne October 31, - February 28, was an American burlesque dancer who performed from the late s to the early s. She was given the nickname "Lottie the Body" when she was a teenager working in modeling. Lottie was renowned for her support of other exotic dancers, musicians, and entertainers.
During her lengthy career, she worked throughout the U. By age seventeen, she quit school to become a professional dancer. Her first professional job was performing with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, Herbert White's popular dance troupe in the s that traveled to venues around the country. Famous for the "Lindy Hop," the routines were a combination of jazz, tap, swing, and more. At that time in her life, she did not foresee a career as an exotic dancer.
But, once the Lindy Hop craze died, she quickly learned that other types of professional jobs in the field of dance were few and far between for an African American woman.
It was then that she honed her skills as a burlesque performer. Thus began a long career that took Lottie around the world and introduced her to a life that she'd never imagined as a youngster. She created her burlesque act there during the height of the popularity of jazz clubs.
After her marriage to Tatum ended, Lottie moved to Detroit, by When he died, she met and married Willie Claiborne, and they enjoyed a long marriage until her death. When Lottie lived and performed in San Francisco in the late s and early s, she also traveled the country to work.
