Halloween Special - the Supernatural History of Tattooing Today we see tattoos mostly as a form of self-expression and individuality. A way to tell our unique story to the world, and to honour our one-of-a-kind embodied experience on this planet. While some have returned to the ancient mystical essence of tattooing by exploring the realms [...]
Tattoo Glossary - A to C Ever felt like you need to Urban Dictionary some of the things you hear around a tattoo studio? Or on blogs like this for that matter? We decided to do a thorough run-through of all the jargon and terminology you may come across while hanging around a tattoo shop, be that [...]
Pioneering Women in Tattooing - Jacci Gresham The first African American female tattoo artist, Jacci Gresham, is the stuff of legends. A true pioneer and an icon, Gresham is now 72-years old and has been tattooing for over four decades. Her shop, Aart Accent Tattoos & Body Piercing in New Orleans, is Louisiana’s oldest tattoo [...]
Japanese tattooing Japanese tattooing occupies its own revered place in ink legend. And from the stunning full-body suits to the minimalistic studios and the elegant hand-poking Tebori tools, what’s not to be in awe of. One of the true classics of the global tattoo trade, let’s take a closer look at the legacy of ink [...]
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 [...]
