The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-27
THE rArToOER's ART.
Curious Fancies Of People Who Want Them
selves Marked with India Ink.

Curious Fancfes Of People Who Want Them
selves Marked with India Ink.
Interview with Artist, in New York Mail and Elk
press.
DO You put many religious designs on peo-
pler-
Yes. q great many on both men and women.
A man in here from Newburg, the other day,
had four religious pieces put on him. He was q
very religious man. Many of the women whora
mark first send me a postalcard and go to
their homes and mark them. But / have fire.
quently had fine ladies in front of my place here
IN their coaches 10 have private marks. initials,
or names. put on their arms or neck. While in
Chicago. recently, tattooiug person, the girls
there got the idea in their heads that little
India ink spot the side of the chin was the
fashion. and l began to think it was going to be
a mania with them. Why. / marked over fifty
girls in this way while was there. They called
1t a beauty spot 1t was dot of blue, in the
| center of which was the least speck of red. Only
these two colors used in the work. They are
Chinese vermiion and blue India ink. They are
never poisonous and you could actually eat them
without injury
do not people bring their own designsY'
Yes. very often. and they frequently refer to
late generals For instance, soon after Grants
death, one man had a design marked on himself
of Grant being crowned by angels, and have
put on the chest and back of several persons
pictures OF Grant. New. there is beginning TO
be call for pictures of the Statue of Liberty,
but haven't got good design for it yet, al
though have had a dozen customers call for It,
| curious part of the business is the number OF
persons who want names marked on their arms
Why. not week passes on which do not have
twenty or thirty such customers. Sailors and
others have the name of sweetheart or wife be-
| sides, often, their own initials The chief idea
| seems to be identity after death. AT the time
| of Charlie Ross's disappearance great numbers
| of women were here every day bringing their
| children to be marked with their names. Since
| then marking children in this way has been very
general It's good thing too, for there are cases
every day of bodies being identified by means of
| these marks l remember case in California
| where the body of mar was found whom no.
| body knew, orcould identify. But he had marked
| on him the emblems of well-known secret
| order, and so his body was decently buried
When the schooner Wel}es Burke was wrecked
| In Lake Erie, and all on board lost two bodies
| of her sailors were identified by the names of
| their sweethearts marked on their arms in India
| ink Then there is that case of the body found
recently in the Erie basin, off Brooklyn. 1t was
| badly decomposed, but the right arm was
| still seen the figure in India ink of woman, and
under it the words: In memory Of Lizzie
Graves"
What does the work costa"
ITO put on ordinary sized piece / charge
81, but they run from Sc cents to &c. crucif4
costs 81. so to So. have been at the business
steadily for thirty-two years. and there has not
been day in that time which have not had
one or two customers, and sometimes ten to
twelve. Why. was all through the Potomac
army, and averaged $50 day at the work there. !"