Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-09-11
TATTooING.
The Studio of an Artist Who Decor
ates the Human Cuticle.


In little by street of seaport town,
writes correspondent, / recently came
across modest little two-story dwelling,
over the window of which was the
strange device, {" tattooing, on pro-
jecting sign, composing two sides OF a tri-
angle. Within, the tattooer was await
ing customers. sob, yes, it is a regular
business, " he said; ''it's all I've got to
depend on for living, at any rate"
The artist in tattooing, who is man
of the middle height, stoutly built, hairy
as Esau, showed me various samples Of
his skill on his own limbs. Every avail
able spot upon his arms and chest had
been utilized; in fact, he was walking
catalogue of his own pictures. His bench
was the window recess, small space
around it on the ground floor room being
curtained off for the purpose of his pro-
fe sion. In this email space-f e or six
feet square-he exercises his art with
only dim light, finding its way through
the small panes, in which are hung var
ious pictures and designs.
On the window-be bench lie the tools of
his craft, and large volume of designs
from his pencil. Most of the designs are
emblematic Of Father Neptune and the
briny; but the book abounds with Others,
among which the various predictions
OF his customers can scarcely fail to DO
suited. Uncle Sam, wrapped in the stars
and the stripes, and protected by the
enormous eagle; army and navy standing
hand in hand; visions of ballet loveliness
seen away from the footlights; the sail
or tearfully taking his farewell of his
lass; these, and items Of comic nature
too, can be punctured into the skin at
charges varying according to the magni-
tude of the design and the amount Of
| Dor involved. The tools look, at first
sight, like an artists paint brushes, oEly
much shorter. Instead of camel's hair the
brush is made of fine needles, seven in q
row in the largest and two in the finest.
He has several in an ink-pallet and some
pieces of India ink and bottles Of YER
million. These constitute, with the de-
signs, his stock in trade.
His business has not been brisk lately,
he informed me. What kind of custom
ers did he gct2 oh, from all classes;
but he relied chiefly on blue jackets, and
men of similar station in life. Had
done work for people in more exalted
stations, but not often. He had tattooed
ladies, too. but in their cases he had
been restricted to tn tracing of initials
on their fair wrists, or sometimes he
worked on a bracelet. No, he did not
know whether these were their own init
ials, but he rather guessed they were not.
"Would you like to see how it's done"
l expressed my preference to seeing it
done to having it practiced on myself.
/ held his arm tight so as to stretch the
skin, while he, with his brush of needles,
previously dipped in the Indian ink,
rapidly traced circle by pricking the
skin.
ssOh no, there's not much of sensa-
ton. he remarked; ''the needles don't
90 far IN They went sufficiently farm,
however, to enable the brush to hang in
the skin as he illustrated the mode Of
procedure. One of the larger emblem
attic pictures, occupying space nearly
half the size Of Harper's Weekly page,
would have to be done on the victims
chest, and in addition TO paying $3.50
for the work the client would have to
sit still for six hours while the artist vas
at work. He said he had learnt the art
at sea, where his sery 'es used to be III
great requisition among his shipmates.-
al Av.vffcar