New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-20
TattOOlng.


ceased biting. We had caught fish in plenty.
for the day, and now came tho task OF
cleaning them. prior to putting them in Ice
for the New York market. Three brawny
sailors barred their arms to the shoulder,
seized their knives, and cod were decap!tat-
ed and disemboweled at the rate of five a
minute.
It was then that, for the first time, l
heard che name of distinguished artist.
Said one sailor to his mate: bill, that's the
prettiest picture on your arm l ever see. l
have been kind Of envying you that mark
ing. You zee mine was done By shlpma:e
as was most only beginner, and amt OF
much account"
eyes" replied Bill, with evident pleasure,
''it's been admired before and the man
looked with pride at his arm. ITS sailor
and his own true love, and what he always
leaves behind him and don't zee no more,
and it was put on by the best tat,oer in the
United States"
(Which is name is Martin HLldebrand+,'
chimed in Nantucket fisherman. con,
I've seen his work before. l reckon l am
q Judge Of that kind of thing. l guess
have seen just rs big tat:ooing as the next
man, having been once wrecked. on che
New Zealand coast, where the natives pass
most of their leisure identifying themselves.
l once clapped eyes on an old Chief OF sew
enty that had been undergoing his marking
ever since he was baby, and all the pic
ture that was to have been printed on INN
wasn't done yet. Maybe if he had lived
until he was hundred he might have been
finished up. There wasn't square inch
on him that wasn't laid out IN
lozenges, squares, triangles and circles,
with all kinds of zig gag lines running
| in regular order all over him. The only
thing about it where them savages amt up
to us, is in the skin. Being not exactly
| black, but pretty dark, you can't tint
New Zealander or a kanacker like you can
a White man. On New Zealander the
! color has to be put in heavy, and it amt no
| Joke. I've seen em doing it. They takes
kind of little saw, made Of wood with lot
| of sharks teeth sot in it, and they taps that
| on the mans hide with a small millef. and
| the blood comes every time. Yes, Bill,
| seed your markings when you rolled your
| sleeves up to pull me on board and says to
myself. il it wasn't Martin H.ldebrandt as
| made them markings, then it amt nobody
else"
| The name of this distinguished master
| of the art of tattoo remained in my mind
for some time, then gradually faded away,
! until recalled a day O: SO ago. Some curi.
GUS friend, given to the contemplation OF
| street signs. ha! reported that in South
street, somewhere between Fulton ferry
and Catharine, he had seen GA a bit OF
paper these words: "Tatooing done here
A careful search on my part to lind the
artist was unsuccessful. The policemen in
the neiyhborhood had never seen such a
sign, and postman on the route declared
THAT no such person, be was sure. was to
be found, or, at least had 20 letters sent
him Determining not to be batfled, l
pushed my inquiry to the fountain head OF
all marine information, the Sailors tx
change, where, in a moment, was put on
the right course, and presently found Mr..
Martin Hildebrandt, at his atelier in Oak
street, between Oliver and James
For all the abandon of word printing
perhaps men who write, rever have greater
scope given them than in their description
of an artists interior Lambrequins, tap
estries. coats Of mai, old arms, quaint
| costumes, antique furniture. and mlsceila
neous bric-a- brac can be piled in the mos,
lavish way. Our artists atel;er was q
tavern, with a well-sanded floor, and on the
walls hung pictures of odalisques. dipona
| asserting that some one was member o.
the Ancient Order of Good Fellows, and
there was a strange picture. geographically
perfect, of the Lakes of Killarney, where a
| q glance, the spectator, transmogrlded into
a bird, was supposed TO be fitting ove
these blissful waters and taking in tht
) whole perspective. Mr.. Hlldebrandt, Will
the true modes.y Of an artist e .s
hioited his oo0k OF a,ss ara r"n wsnt "a,
70 be marked for lite, was to select par
ficular piece and in short time, varyin:
from fifteen minutes to an hour and halt
YOU could, presenting your arm or you
chest as an animated canvas to the artist
: have transferred on your person any plctnr
/ | you wanted, at the reasonable price OF from
, | fifty cents to 81 30. The subjects were va
rions, If YOU were an Englishman,
3 Freuchman, Swede, or Dane, there wa
! | ready for you a young lady, entwining bel
, | self in the banners of her country, ready t
leave the book, and stamp herself indelbl,
on your person for lite. There were rel
t | rious pieces, as the crucifctior, in the tru
ascetic style, or if, on the contrary, yo
we're reckless sailor, and wante
g ballerine, there was a gay fl
Q urante, in remarkably short skirt:
! | pirouetting on one toe, which could b
J, | worked into your flesh and blood. Mason!
emblems, Odd Fellows signs, the hand {
1 good fellowship, faith, hope, and charity
sailors rights. anchors, cannons, free trade
\ all more or less allegorically expressed
. were all ready, when called for. Their
Z was one, representing a dolorous youp
s lady reclining on mausoleum, over whlc
4 bent an outrageous willow, which above
a man, who had lost a relative, to bear pei
petually on his person the remembrance {
e his loss. This seemed to me to be more G
lees touching, as an inetfaceab!e n'eMen'
mort. "Is this often used, Mr. Hide
> brandt" asked.
Q "Oh. YES, q favorite piece. l put it o
e quite frequently. You see man has ha
; his arm marked before by some one VIII
did not understand much about it, and
8 uee this to cover over the old tattOOiD!
n The willow being pretty big hides the Of
, work"
y The tools used were showed me. The
consist of some half dozen No: II needle
bound together in slanting form, whiee
Q are dipped as the pricking is made into Il
!. is not made directly up and down, but
an angle the surface of the skin being on
q nricked. bad material said Mr.. Hid
r brandt, "never does good work. use on
q the very best ink can buy, paying VI
an ounce for it. Common ink clouds al
q will not follow the thin lines want when
shade. Sometimes get man with a bea
d tiful white ekin to work on, and 1t Is q re
pleasure l feel in seeing how rapidly n
., work sets and how it grows under my eyes
q "Are there many people who follow 20
IF callingW inquired.
"Some few in New York, but not in
regular way, and not being artists or kno
u ing how to draw. they do very bunglil
e, work. They come to me for designs, WIFI
furnish them, but, am sorry to state, Tn
>. can not carry them out. In Boston there
a man called Brown; l do not think he dc
s. good work. Hehas 10 idea of form, and |
lettering is very irregular. Now there
Lee, OF Philadelphia, left-handed man
* pupil of mine, but regret to say his wo
40 is none of the best. There was q geni'
- however, in Chicago, man whose Re
es name was Farrell, who once was at We
a Point, who did wonderfully fine work, b
a. he took to drinking and lest his skill.
=" does require a certain amount
ID ouickness and habit. I can't make