The woman in the photographs is in a state of deshabille, with her hair down, and in a dressing gown - representing, as nearly as was permissable at the time, her nakedness before God. Religious themes have always been popular with sailors who used to tattoo large images of the crucifixion, or the head of Jesus or Mary, upon their backs to prevent being flogged. The first image here has been represented as a tattoo countless times since its original publication. The most famous is Percy Waters' version done in Detroit, circa 1920. He penned the hymn on a deck of playing cards.
Photographs are from the author's private collection.
Contact Information for non-javascript enabled browsers.