A native of Woodstock, Ontario, Tripp was born without arms, but learned to use his legs and feet to perform everyday tasks.

[1] On stage, Tripp cultivated a gentlemanly persona and exhibited his skills in carpentry and penmanship.

In the photographs, the two rode a tandem bicycle, with Tripp pedaling and Bowen steering.

[1] By the 1910s, Tripp was no longer drawing large crowds for the major circuses, so he joined the traveling carnival circuit.

Tripp died of pneumonia, or asthma, in Salisbury, North Carolina, where he had been wintering for several years.