Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-12-22
A Tattooing Academy.

is upon the door of one of the houses IN
Depau row, New York. A knock upon
the door Is sufficient to get admittance,
and gentleman in q short brown velvet
jacket Will usher you into the studio.
with me | find at present more than l
really can attend To-, said he. s.You see
l have paid more attention to the business
than many would imagine it deserves, and
| intend before / leave to see it placed
among the lines of art in which color has
a representative. 1t takes steady expert
ence to become an expert with the use of
our needles and colors, and l, like others,
have in my day been only beginner, and
every person who got me to do little Jobs
also gave me good chance for practice.
My first inks, tools, and coloIs were gwen
to me by my tutor. He was seafariug
man Of very limited education, and knew
little or nothing of art. Money was all he
worked TOR, but what work he accom-
| plished to secure this was remarkably fine
He would tattoo anything from compass
and square to a Madonna | have got
nearly that far myself, and am now teach
ing others the trade"
''Have you pupils Z"
my instructions; three are females and the
remainder are young men, one of them
Chinaman. Ali of my pupils have had
some experience with the brush. | have
a young Cuban gentleman, who Just left
before you came in tie is the son of a
wealthy sugar and tobacco plantation
owner. He has been to Rome. Florence,
Milan, Berlin, and Pans studying art. He
was pupil in some of the studios for
nt arly two years, and can certainly make
excellent drawings in the nude, and can
paint most expressive face He says
there are too many men doing work on
canvas, and he thinks there is a better
field at present for human skin work in his
native place, where he is shortly to return.
My ladies have nearly all had practice on
canvas, and couple of theil are tirst-class
crayon artists. One has been for some
time in the School of Art in the Cooper
Institute. She is good at natural history,
birds, fishes and animals. Then | have a
young woman good at protiles and busts
One of the young men Is also fine at deco
ratiye and landscape work.
L have tattoOed a great many ladies'
They like flowers, such as a bunch of
three roses or daisies. The men always
order useful tattOJing as a rule, such as
their initials upon their arms or some
fancy designs upon their breasts, The
Crucifixion is not uncommon among sailors,
and many have the emblems of Free
masonry, Odd Fellowship, and other secret
societies.
'.The French women in this city have
had some good work done on them. One
of the chorus girls in Maurice Grau's Opera
Company, before returning to France last
season, came here and had the Cuban
young man tattoo ever her heart the full
picture of The Sacred Heart seen in |
Scriptural paintings. 1t took ~the Cuban |
just two hours to complete the subject |
with its full colors, and it is the most beau !
tiful thing of its kind you could look at. /
offered the young woman Sl0 if she would !
only let me have photograph taken 50 as /
TO show II to my customers, but she re- /
fused. | do not know where she 90. the l
idea from, but know many women If 4
they saw the picture would have one made |
at once. 4 Musician had the full portrait /
of one Of the seven MUSES. put on his breast /
the other day, and night after him came .
Mexican cattle dealer, who got me to make /
a subject of lassoing of cattle ON his breast. |
let one OF the young fellows do the sur
roundings, and it made one of the prettiest /
things with India ink and colors you could /
see.
''Not long ago had visit from two \
doctors, who bought some Of my tools and
inks and had a little practice in tattoOing. /
One of them said that he was connected /
with lying-in institution and always made /
a mark on every child so that he would /
know them hereafter if they came before /
him. My young men and women pupils /
tell me they are beginning to do some
work among very respectable ladies, such \
as putting in some special marks on the
arms. Many choose carefully drawn
coats of arms, and crests. The /
tattoOing of children is certainly very use
ful in its way in case they should be lost,
stolen, or abducted from home. A small /
star, Its initials, or even full name woald /
not do injury when located on the back. |
have done some nice, difficult work in
Turkey, Hin,ioostan, Egypt, and Arabia.
There they demand fine coiOring, and the |
pay is good. While the operation is going |
on they enjoy the pricking sensation with |
great pleasure have done good share |
of work along the Liverpool docks, and |
there is hardly jockey that is well known
in London that mas not come under my |
needle