The Opelousas courier., 1886-11-27
TATTOOING.
One OF the Singular Industries
in the Metropolis.
A Professor Who Has ILLUSTRATED Many
People Tells About His Methods.

Among the innumerable trades IN New
York is the singular one of tattooing. IL
South street, where many ships from al
over the world lie at the wharves, there il
an old man who for ~thirty-two years ha'
been busy from morning till night tattoo
ing people. He tattoos about 5000
persons every year, and, to show thai
t~attooing is not confined to the barbara
n of the South Sea islands, it may be
said that he has tattooed nearly 100, DOC
white people in his lifetime.
He has tattooed not only white people,
but barbarians also, for many years ago
he was in the Sandwich Islands and
tattooed the Sandwich islanders, cover
ing them with American flags, anchors,
eagles and other devices borrowed from
civilization. When he left the islands
nearly 500 of the natives were walking
picture galleries.
This curious artist, Professor Thomas,
has 8 large and airy office OF studio in
South street. He is a genial, elderly man
and wears spectacles. He began life as
a sailor, and followed the sea for twelve
years, being one of the crew of the first
American war vessel, the Vincennes,
Captain Paulding, that ever entered a
Japanese port. He learned the art of
tattooing on board ship, and thirty-two
years ago, when his time was out in the
navy, he came to New York and set up
in business as a tottoo artist.
Many of his customers are sailors, who
have anchors and stars ana clipper ships
and goddesses of liberty and crosses tat
tooed on their arms. He says, however,
that most of his customers at the present
time are city people, such as. yachtsmen
and travelling business men, who have
their names tattooed on their arms that
they may be identified in case of acct
dent or death, and if they chance to be-
long to some fraternity, such as the Free
Masons or the Odd Fellows, have its en-
blem added also, that they may receive
aid if helpless, or burial if dead, by some
member of their order.
Many ladies have their names tattooed
on the right arm just below the shoulder
that it may remain invisible when they
wear a ball dress. At the time of the
disappearance of Charlie Ross for several
years after many mothers broughttheir
children to Professor Thomas's office to
have him tattoo their children's names
on their arms in order that they might
certainly be identified even if they should
be lost for long years.
Captain Costentius, the Greek, who
was captured by the savages and
prodigally illustrated by them, and lived
to travel with Barnum's show, was the
most deliberately tattooed mar ever seen
in any European country. Professor
Thomas said that Costentius was fine
piece of animated pictorial work, for he
helped to tattoo him.
He added that the Captain was not a
Greek, but a native of Burmah, and that
all the natives of that country are
tattooed. Captain Costentius came to
country wearing a fine coat of tattoo,
but he was hardly tattooed enough for
the show business, and SO several New |
York tattoo artists were put to work by
Mr. Barnum to more amply illustrate
him.
There are now . in the country six
tattooed men and five tattoced women.
The story told by all of them. is that
they were cast away in various parts of
world and tattooed by the savages
among whom they had the misfortune
fall and from whom they had ulti-
mately the good fortune to escape.
None of these tattooed people ever saw
savage, and all were tattooed by
Professor Thomas.
The mystery of why any person
consent to be tattooed is ex-
by this incident: A girl worked
IN Grand street for % q week. This
meant starvation or the gutter. A show.
man offered her $45 a week for two
years If she would become a tattooed
woman. She accepted the offer and
sfter she had Travelled with the show six
months she made a match with another
curiosity who was rich, and they have
retired and joined the wealthy
lass.
Tattooed men now get from $25 to $50
week, their wages having fallen so per
'ent, owing to the increased number.
For ~tattooing people for the sideshows
circuses Professor Thomas receives
rom $f75 to $3.50. Il takes him six
weeks, working from three to six hours a
laT, to fully illustrate a tattooed man.
Tor making an anchor on . sailors arm
charges IS cents; q Goddess Of Lib
rty and the Stars and Strips costs 81 so.
Dther designs made on the arm in India
* cost from $f to SIS. Professor
'hopnas has 800 different designs for
attooing. !
He lately tattood two spaniards from
cad TO foot with religious pictures.
4%%h@ {
hey are as deliberately tattooed as Cap
in Costentius. and are going to Italy !;
travel in a show III that country.-