The Tattooed Ladies Tattooed ladies were working-class women who had gotten plenty of ink at a time when it was unthinkable for any proper ‘lady’ to do so. They performed in circuses and sideshows, along sword swallowers, fire eaters and bearded women throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. The ladies would wear clothing [...]
The Code of the Camorra - Neapolitan mafioso ink It is said never to judge a book by its cover. However, when it comes to the Camorra mobsters of Naples, you could probably judge them by the markings on their skin. The tattooed syndicate of Naples Since modern times, Naples has always been one of [...]
Women who shaped modern tattooing - Jessie Knight Jessie Knight, Britain's first female tattoo artist Newspaper clipping of Knight tattooing service women during WW II Hailing from a lineage of counterculture artists, Jessie Knight was one of the most celebrated tattoo artists of her time. Born in Croydon in 1904, Jessie was one [...]
Superheroes and Steampunk — Tattoo World Records II Ink and the MCU In 2018, the Canadian Marvel fan Rick Scolamiero became the record holder of ‘Most Marvel comic book characters tattooed on the body’. It is unclear exactly when this category was instated... But safe to say it could be a long time before Rick’s [...]
Hall of Fame - Tattoo World Records Part I The Guinness Book of World Records is a gold mine for interesting tattoo facts. One of the most obvious records to hold would be that of having the most ink on your body. The title of most tattooed woman in the world is held since 2017 [...]
Tattoo Laws Europe and USA Denmark, as stated in a previous entry, was one of the first countries in Europe to embrace tattoo culture, when its king was seen on the cover of LIFE magazine bare-chested and with numerous tattoos from local Copenhagen artists in 1951. It is therefore ironic that it has the only [...]
Thai amulet or "Yantra" While the state laws on tattooing are not so harsh, should you get a traditional (and considered magic) Sak Yant tattoo by a Thai Buddhist monk, there are a number of rules of conduct to follow post-needle. The Sak Yant tattoos were originally done on warriors seeking strength and [...]
A History Of Tattooing Tools — Ancient Tools and Techniques The oldest preserved tattoo kit, found on the island of Tongpatu in Tonga, is a somewhat more quiet ancestor to its modern counterpart. Dated at 2,700 years old, the tools have been identified as ‘bone combs’, flat pieces of bone that have been shaped to [...]
The History Of Tattooing — Tattoos, Tools And People Through Millennia Step into a tattoo studio today and you will hear the constant buzzing of machines, powered either by air pressure or an electric motor, as they penetrate the skin at a rate of anywhere between 50 to 3,000 times per minute. For some people, [...]