The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-09-05
TO THE MEMORY OF MY MOTHER.


THAT" said he, 's the design that
am most often called upon to reproduce,
especially for sailors. Almost every one
of them that comes up here to be well
fixed up begins by having that on his
breast. Maybe his mother isn't dead yet,
but it's homelike, and makes him think
Of his parents. That's pretty difficult
design but don't charge a man as much
for that, because | think it shows good
feeling for him to want it"
"What instruments do YOU use!"
Mr.. Thomas exhibited in reply two
saucers, one with vermiion and the
other with black ink, and a slender ivory
stick to which were lashcd five fine nee
dies, with the points of each IA little
above the preceding one, so as to form a
slanting surface.
That's ALL" said hc-''India ink and
Chinese vermillion, and those five needles
to pick the ink in. Those are the only
kind of ink that will last and will not
intlame the skin. Sometimes get Amer
lean vermillion palmed off on me. It's
pretty dangerous, and l always try
little of it on my own hand first so that |
can tell the effect on my customers"
him as a pen wiper 1t was covered,
from the tips of the fingers almost to the
elbow, with indelible marks in black
and red ink, entirely hiding the skin. A
screaming eagle, with baby in its talons,
that had been tattooed there thirty years
before, was just visible through the
stains.
Are those inks expensive2 Well,
they are, and they are not. One of those
little sticks of India ink cost me So. 25;
but then can do 800 worth of work
with it, so you see it don't come to so
much after all Yes, they are the only
colors | use, red and blue. The black
ink gets blue when put it under the
skin. OF course, l can't give any par
ticular color to girls eyes or checks,
but | come near enough to it to please
my customers, and you would be sur
prised to lea-n what different kinds of
customers have Many is the time I've
had two sisters looking out of the win
dow, watching for their mother and
father, while | was busy tat:ooing
the third sister. l got at least
dozen jobs of that kind in year, and
sometimes more, and from ladies, too,
that live up town on the avenues. What
they ask for most frequently is to have
some name tattooed where it can't be
seen in ball costume. Some of them
want necklace tattooed around their
necks. But l always advise them
against it, because they are sure to wish
it were off some day, and, of course,
once on, it's got to stay there while the
skin does.
"Then, too, | have good many Gus
toners among the young clerks. Some
of them want design relating to their
business. For instance, just last week
| tattooed "ticker, with a picture of
Jay Gould looking at it, on the arm of
brokers' clerk in Pearl street. But most
of the clerks just want the name of their
sweetheart cntwined with their own in
the most tlourishing letters | can find.
Then they show it to her and say it was
very painful, and she says, Just think
how he has suffered on my account and
that makes them better friends than they
were before. But they deceive their
girls, because it don't hurt much at all
Let me show you" The artist took
up his needle, drew the skin tightly
across the reporters wrist, and in a
moment had produced miniature
blue star without any greater pain
than a slight picking sensation, fol-
lowed by slight irritation and infam
nation. That's all the pain there
is in it," he continued, "and when
do a big job, and have been working
on man for five or ten minutes the
skin gets numb, and he doesn't feel any.
thing ut all and wants me to keep on, be-
cause as soon as stop he feels the irri-
tation. That's the good thing in this
business, and it is where we have the ad-
vantage of ordinary artists. We can get
our subjects to sit as long as we choose.
If it wasn't for that we should never be
able to finish a job.
"Have | ever tattooed anybody for the
show businessl Certainly | have.
| guess | have done at least half of all
! who are on exhibition. About month
o,.o I Enioha,l tur, lol;as IN