Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-24
TATTooED ROYALTY.
Distinguished People who Have Been
Decorated with the Needle.

te0nfe w no nave befn
Decorated with the Needle.
From Harmsworths Magazine.
Tattooing is Just now the popular pastirna
of the leisured world. one of the best
known men in high European circles the
Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, is mos; elab-
oIateIy tattooed. Prince and Princess Wal
demar OF Denmark, Queen Olga Of Greece.
King Oscar of Sweden, the Duke OF York.
the Grand Duke Constantine. Lady RI
dolph Churchill. with many others OF royal
and distinguished rank, have submitted
themselves to the tickling but painless and
albeit pleasant sensation afforded by the
in proved :attoong needle which IS nova
days worked on the simple plan. aided by
the galvania current, the genius OF the artist
supplying the rest of the operation. The
Duke of SaXe-Coburg and Gotha. like his
cousin, Alexis Of Russia. is another olahp-
rateiy tattooed man. Any one meeting the
Duke of Newcastle. or the Earl of Port
arlington. or Sir Edmund BeChmere in the
street would hardly realize the fact that
these gentlemen are proud wearers OF tat
too markS-much SO. The present fancy for
being tattooed. according to Prof Riley
than whom no artist has tattooed more dis
tiEguished people-mainly exists among men
who have travelled much; while ladies have
also taken a strong liking 10 this form OF
personal decoration, which. from a woman's
point of view. is about expensive as
dress, but not costly az good Jewelry. In
front Of a camera, or reclining her head in
the dentists chair or placing herself re-
stgGedly in the hands OF her coiffeur for
want of something better 10 do. or for the
purpose of passing her time in the on
season, the lady about town now consents
TO be pricked by the tattoo artists operating
needle, ard to have her forearm or should
er adorned with q serpent holding It's tell
in its mouth-a symbol representing eternity.
The skill of The tattoo artist. to be real
lied properly and fairly, must he seen in
beautiful colors on white skin work
which is amazing. The sketches he en-
ploys ara made in various colored inks.
His great skill is in the faithful reproduc-
ton of any symbol or picture desired by
the sitter. These designs vary in size from
a small fly or bee to that of an immense
Chinese dragon occupying the whole space
offered by the back or chest or huge
snake many inches in thickness coilng
round the body from the knees to the
shoulders. Tattooing has its humorous side
well its serious. A lover whose heart
was once melted away in a soft, sweet.
passionate love got the artist to imprint in
indeible inks, over the region of his heart,
a single heart of charming and delicate
outline, colored, as 1t should he, in all the
blushing tints with the name of his loved
one stamped thereon. Three years after
ward he followed the artist to London. and,
seeking him out with face pallid, the light
of his eye almost gone out. and looking ut
terly miserable and careworn, he requested
the tattooer to imprint under that same
symbol, in bold, big letters, the word de
ceiver." wall-known army officer had
tattooed over his heart the simple name OF
Mary" with a lovers knot, but six months
afterward the same man had the uncanny
word "traitress' tattoOed under it.
An English actress had butterfly tattooed
on her fair shoulder, the initials of her
hance, IF "" being placed underneath.
Not long afterward she also came back and
had the F converted into e" and the
W into W." the letters reading 'E. W.
She eventually married 'E. w" and to
f3nN GvNlr II g..F.s
the first tattooed on her arm. Colonials
visiting England usually return home hear
ing on some part of their body emblem
OF some national Importance. This takes
the shape of portrait of the queen or the
standard, the union jack, also not being
despised. A man may admire favorite pic
ture and desire reproduction of il tattooed
on his back or upon his chest. Prof Riley
is at the present time engaged etching" oiI
a mans back Laudseers famous picture,
Dignity and Impudence," and when finish
ed it will measure II by inches The same
artist is also outlining on the chest of =
Scotch baron copy of Constable's famous
etching. Mrs. Pelham" after Sir Joshua
Reynolds, the original etching of which
fetched, in June last, at Christie's, the rec
ord sum of 1925.
While most people are pleased to go
through the performance of being tattooed
Just for the fun of the thing, as il were
many, on the other hand, approach the tat
tooer with seriouso bject in view. Eschew-
ing all fancy designs. they choose frequent
ly their own name and address as an aid TO
identification in case OF accident or as has
been the case recently, wife may induce
her husband to have her name tattooed on
his; arm as a guarantee of good faith.
An official connected with one of our
leading railways has had tattooed around
his arm, in snake fashion, train going at
full speed. The scene is laid at night The
shades of evening enYelop the snoring To-
connective and flying carriages, while the
rays of light proceeding from the opened
furnace of the locomotive are effectively
shown lighting up the cars. There are
lights, too, issuing from the carriages,
showing how the passengers inside are
passing away the time. Some of them are
reading, some sleeping, some talking some
sullenly looking out of the windows A
darkened portion of the train is passing
the signal box, and the dim light therefrom
family lights up that part of the train
The picture is perfect ideal of the tat
tooer's art and shows the great advance
tattooing has made during recent years.
Prof Riley has never done anything more
striking or effective, if perhaps We except
the large snake he tattooed all around the
body OF certain popular member of the
royal family, which Is an extremely life
like reptile. There are over 100 600 people
in London alone who bear on some part Of
their anatomy some evidence of the tattoo
ing needle