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At first I was really interested in prominent female figures in tattoo history and was thinking of creating work that told their stories. I really liked old circus posters and they were my main inspiration for a while.

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The true story of Jessie Knight, Britain's first professional female tattooist

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Knight's gender made her an outsider in the tattoo industry, and her career made her an outsider in a world that saw tattoos as transgressive.

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The Inked Ladies—Tattooed Women of the Victorian Era

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The iconic “Tattooed Lady” of the late 19th century was much more than part of the sideshow. She was a walking work of art.

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Henk Schiffmacher's Private Collection of the Art and Its Makers, 1730s-1970s

One part history book, one part art book, and one part fascinating memoir, this book is an overview of more than two centuries of tattoo history intermixed with an intimate look at the lives of tattoo artists, and the personal struggles and triumphs, occupational hazards, and artistic courage that have defined so much of this history.

For the last forty years, Henk Schiffmacher has poured his heart and soul into his collection, amassing tattoo drawings, designs, photographs, and artifacts from around the world. Each of the book's five chapters features many never-before-seen highlights from this collection and includes lithographs, etchings, tattooing instruments, paintings, photographs, posters, shop signs, original drawings, and tattoo designs known in the business as flash, among them extremely rare vintage flash sheets from major players in early Western tattooing.

The vastness and variety of tattooing around the world is chronicled in the book's 700+ images, including the indigenous tattooing of the Māori and South Pacific islanders, the ancient traditions of Asia, and the origins of old-school Western tattooing in Europe and the United States. The book also features a dozen original illustrations by Schiffmacher in his inimitable style, as well as a personal introduction describing Schiffmacher's own journey as both an artist and a collector that has shaped his view of the art's journey from the underground to the mainstream.

Schiffmacher brings a fascinating perspective to tattoo history through his personal reflections and wild tales of adventure. In this book, we learn not only about the history of tattooing, but also about the adventures behind the making of one of the largest tattoo collections in the world, by a self-taught tattoo artist in love with the art and its innovators.

The author

Amsterdam-based tattoo artist and historian Henk Schiffmacher is a living legend in the tattoo world. Traveling the world since the 1970s, Schiffmacher has amassed one of the largest collections of contemporary and historical tattoo ephemera in the world, known as the Schiffmacher Tattoo Heritage. He has tattooed many rock and pop stars, and his tattoo shop attracts countless tattoo pilgrims. A director and writer, he has published over twenty books, including TASCHEN's 1000 Tattoos, and designed for many brands. In 2017, he was decorated by the king and queen of the Netherlands as an Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau, a Dutch order of chivalry and the highest recognition given to a civilian.

The editor

Noel Daniel is a graduate of Princeton University and a former Fulbright Scholar to Berlin. Her TASCHEN publications include TATTOO 1730s-1950s, Kay Nielsen's A Thousand and One Nights and East of the Sun and West of the Moon, The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, Wintertime Tales, Magic, and The Circus.

TATTOO. 1730s-1970s. Henk Schiffmacher's Private Collection

ISBN 978-3-8365-6935-4

Edition: Multilingual (English, French, German)

Download product images here

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TATTOO. 1730s-1970s. Henk Schiffmacher's Private Collection. TASCHEN Books

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Join tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher on a journey through tattoo history from the 1730s to the 1970s, showcasing stunning designs from his private collecti...

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Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoos, 2nd Edition

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Bodies of Subversion was the first history of women’s tattoo art when it was first released in 1997, providing a fascinating excursion to a subculture that dates back to the 19th century and includes many never-before-seen photographs of tattooed women from the last century. This revised and expa…

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Skin shows : the tattoo bible : Wróblewski, Chris, 1950- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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Karen Leader, “On the book of my body”, Feminist Formations, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Winter 2016), pp. 174-195

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Revolting Bodies: The Monster Beauty of Tattooed Women on JSTOR

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Christine Braunberger, Revolting Bodies: The Monster Beauty of Tattooed Women, NWSA Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Summer, 2000), pp. 1-23

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Caroline Smith

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Looking at more illustrative ways to maybe document figures that weren't just posters. I liked the idea of a tattooed doll, in particular looking at the vintage look of paper dolls and stuffed dolls.

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Gucci Decor Collection - Creative director Alessandro Michele

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Here my project turned to tattoo design instead of documentation, I started looking at how tattoos have evolved in style and motifs over the years. Looking at tattoo artists that I admire

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Vyvyn Lazonga: Seattle Tattoo Artist Makes Mastectomy Scars Beautiful

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As an artistic kid in Seattle, Vyvyn Lazonga loved to draw and bead. Then she discovered tattoos in the early 1970s. “This lightbulb went…

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An illustration indicating the tattoos present on the Egyptian Mummy of Amunet, a priestess of the goddess Hathor in the 11th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. (Daniel Fouquet, ’Le Tatouage Medicale en…

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Meet Cindy Ray: ‘The classy lassie with the tattooed chassis’

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In the 1960s, Cindy Ray was a heavily tattooed blonde beauty popular with American tattoo enthusiasts. But this woman was really Bev Nicholas, an Australian mum just trying to make a living.

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Honouring Cindy Ray - a historic trailblazer in the tattoo industry.

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Cindy Ray was Australia's first tattooed pin-up girl. She had no tattoos and or interest in tattooing until the photographer Harry Bartram offered to pay for her tattoos back in 1959. Here are some old photos of her modeling work.

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Elizabeth Weinzirl  The World's Greatest Tattoo Fan - by Mary Jane Haake

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JSTOR: Mother's Pain, Mother's Voice: Gabriela Mistral, Julia Kristeva, and the Mater Dolorosa - Margaret Bruzelius

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JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.

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JSTOR: New Directions in Motherhood Studies -Samira Kawash

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JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.

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JSTOR: Feminism and Motherhood: An American Reading Ann Snitow

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JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.

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JSTOR: Feminist Perspectives on Motherhood and Reproduction - Gerda Neyer, Laura Bernardi

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JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.

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The daylight gate : Winterson, Jeanette, 1959- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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Madame Lazonga - History of Seattle’s Oldest Tattoo Shop

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History of Seattle’s Oldest Tattoo Shop. Owner Vyvyn Lazonga has run the shop since 1972. Chloe Anderson is the current resident artist.

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To make links to my essay I started looking at how tattoos can empower women. To generate themes and motifs, I paused looking at tattoos to look at what art inspires me first

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Julie Kwiatkowski - "The Executioner's Alphabet"

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Roger and Martyn Dean - Cover art of "Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening" by The Keith Tippet Group

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Andrew Salgado - "Tomorrow i'll be Perfect" 2023

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Stephen Bissette and John Totleben - a page from "The Saga of the Swamp Thing #34"

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Millie Amber - Embroidered wall hanging for 30th anniversary of Holes first album "Pretty on the Inside" for Parliament Tattoo

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I found when trying to turn more positive examples of empowerment into motifs they often came out cliché or corny. I preferred looking at themes that are darker and gorier but still show women's strength