The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-12-14
TATrOOrNG AS A TRADE.
Tho Men That like 10 See Figures on Their
skin-Dasienu Most Popuinr-A Talk with
an Old OPERATOR

| eCubeu ana Y1VlOly cOlOIeu BOuuebs OF
liberty, with the equally glaringly tinted
words underneath "Tattooing Done
Here by Martin Hildebrandt" Ascend
ing q narrow stairway and turning to the
right, the reporter found himself in q
small room. Inquiring for the owner Of
the sign, the reporter was told that he
was at present tattooing a man, but
would be done directly. Under the inn
preston that the reporter was GUS
toner, the woman who had given the
information handed him book which
she said contained the designs her hus-
band was capable of executing on the
human epidermis.
The book was a curiosity in itself. It
contained about fifty crudely executed
and highly-colored drawings and de-
signs. There we're goddesses of liberty
in profusion of all sizes and styles, the
coats of arms of the United States,
England, France, Germany, Spain,
anchors and chains; a full-rigged man.
of.war firing off cannon; ships of all
kinds; the flags of different national
tiles; ballet girl with very short
skirt and very muscular limbs; Venus;
willow-surrounded tomb with the
words, "My mother" on its face;
butchers knife and cleaver crossed;
blacksmith's hammer and tongs; mer.
maids sitting on q rock playing on q
Tyre; Masonic emblems; burning hearts,
eaal les, lions, etc. Underneath each
design was the cost of having it execut-
ed, the prices ranging from twenty-five
cents to $3. It was evident that the
customers of the shop preferred realis-
tic pictures to allegorical hints,
and a heart pierced by an arrow
cost only twenty-five cents, while the
design of jauntily clad sailor embrac-
ing a short-skirted female cost SO.
While the reporter was still admir-
ing these "works of art" the "artist"
himself entered. He is short. thick
set man, some fifty years of age. He
was very willing to give information
concerning his peculiar trade. Seeing
his book of designs in the reporters
hands, he hastened to assure him that
''them's not all the designs kin make
by good deal; kin tattoo anything
customer calls for"
"I suppose sailors are your chief
customers" 2"
"Oh, no, mechanics, tradesmen and
'longshoremen are the class of men /
do most of my tatooing on. Ihave Gus
toners from all over the United States,
all kinds of people, and have even had
gentlemen come to my door in their
private carriages. l am the only man
in the city who has permanent place
of business. There's an old fellow who
he h.
docks, but his trade isn't big"
"What designs are the most popu-
lar?"
"Well, that's all according to taste
or hobby. American sailors like god
desses of liberty, sailors of other ma
tions the coat-of-arms of their country.
An Indian waving tomahawk is great
favorite with some tars. Then I've put
many knives and cleavers on butchers
arms, hammers and tongs on black
smiths' Masonic emblems are always in
demand. Sometimes there are sailors
who want the initials of their sweet
hearts names put on their arms. Some
times men who have been Tilted by their
girls afterward have their names or ini-
tials covered with other pictures. Some
of the fellows who used 'to run wild
der machine in old volunteer fire de-
partment days. have had me put pic
lures of fireman with speaking trum.
pet at the mouth on their hands or fore
arm. Young men have the coats oi-arms
OF their country or state put on. A de-
sign of willow surrounded tomb with
the words, TO the memory of my
mother, is great favorite with old
men,"
"Have you executed number of
designs on any one person ?"
"Yes, I've tattooed one man from
head to foot. He has large design of
Washington's tomb on his breast, and
smaller figures of flowers, leaves, etc.,
on the rest of his person. He exhib-
tied at Coney Island last year and got
$40 week. Another man 1 almost
covered with pictures was Spaniard
about fifty years of age. He brought
his own designs with him, and these
put on him smaller or larger than the
pattern. They were almost all of a
religious character. On his back put
the Virgin Mary and thirty-three
angels. A large picture OF the cruel
fixion put on his breast. Then there
was the picture of q blind man led by o
little girl to the edge of preoipice,
and saved from falling over by an
angel. Three mermaids I tattooed on
one side, a rooster and cat respectively
on each shoulder, and more religious
I figures on his arms"
Ibid he go into the show business
too p
"No. I asked him if he intended tc
/ do so, but he said no; then asked him
+ his reasons for having himself tattooed
all over, but he wouldn't tell me-"
: "Do not many boys come to you tc
be tattooed ?"
+ "Sometimes fathers bring their boys
? and have their name or some mark put
r on them, 80 that they can be recog