The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-03-31

design OF the Chinese dragon which
reached from the wrist TO above the ell
bow, and was worked out IN great de-
tail in red and blue ink. On his breast
were designs of serpents. a picture Of
a japanese woman, and numerous but
Ierfiies and birds.
$500 Worth Of TattOoing.
7 had these put on one at a time, and
ibid not keep any particular track Of
them" the Jack Tar said. but day
or two ago I counted them up and I
found that the collection Of pictures
cost me altogether $500
Tattooing is an almost universal rule
among sailors. The young men who en-
ter the service see the designs on the
older ones, and believe they are not
real sailors until they have been deco
rated. The older men have formed a
habit Of patronizing every tattoo worker
who seeks employment, and gradually
they acquire ana keep acquiring a varied
their bodies almost covered with designs
That have taken weeks in the making
and have undergone the most severe
pain In order to show up" as good
q collection as some other Jack Tar
The designs run from snakes and an
CnOrS 70 pictures Of the cruciiiXiOn the
last of which seems TO be a particular
1avorite with tattoo workers of some
Catholic countries.
Snake COiled About His Body.
In spite OF the fact that the ink Is In
'trOduced far under the skin and pro-
lduces wounds that take weeks in heal
ing, il is said that few serious results
are experienced. One man who was
formerly aboard a navy cutter had a
design Of a snake which colled over his
body from head to foot The body OF
the snake was two inches wide. and it
was wrapped around the mans BODY al
most Ike a coat. The work required
several weeks. the tattoo worker charg-
ing so much day for his work When
1t was finished the sailors body was
covered with sores. and he was com
PEELED to so to the hospital until the
wounds could heal and scale off Al
though the design covered almost the
entire body, the sailor recovered and
was soon in his former good health
Pictures OF the crucifiXiOn or merely
a crucittX are usually designed on the
breast or back. One Of the most Ella
bOrate designs of this nature was on a
sailor ABOARD the man-o' wars mans
boat. It consisted OF six pictures rep-
Tesentlng the scenes Immediately pre-
ceding the crucifixion. The pictures were
done in colors and by a sknlful artist,
who portrayed faithfully even the facial
expression.
butterflies Are FOpulaI.
Besides snakes and other reptiles. but
terfiies and small insects are popular
designs among the sailors. Some OF
them have these small marks scattered
over the entire body until the general
impression suggests the spots of a
leopard The United States coat-oF-
arms. flags and the American eagle are
lalso favorites. and foreign tattoo work
ers have made a careful study of these
designs, for which there is such demand
No matter how much tattoo work a
sailor has on his body. there is invaria-
bly, some design suggesting his native
country, and these are usually displayed
In a prominent place.
Certain japanese and Chinese tattoo
workers of the far East have perfected
designs of Chinese women that are pop.
ular, but their drawings of the Ameri
can woman are invariably bad. tn,
workers do not seem to catch the facia
expression of the American woman anC
the faces they draw are hideOus.
Iatoolng is regular business at al
most every seaport As soon as thu
boats come to rest IN the harbor sew
eral of the artists go aboard immedi-
ately and spend every day there unit
the ship sails again. The sailors lin,
up Ike men II a barber shop and wal
their turn TO be done"
Charges of the Tattoo Workers.
The tattoo worker displays his designs
at so much each and the sailors picI
their choice. When certain elaborate de.
signs are 20 be worked the sailor zoe.
ashore with the tattoo worker and re.
mains with him until the work IS com.
pleted. The worker charges so much a
day for his labor and often occupies {
week In the drawing of something par.
ticularly large. The men are experts and
use the best ink ObtainabIe. so that the
sailors have little to fear from the con-
sequences of the operation.
II is an interesting fact that women
display the same penchant for tattoo
ing as men. There are many wives OF
officers and yacht owners who nut UT
in foreign ports and send for a tattoo
worker Immediately and have design
after design drawn on their fair skin
Their taste runs particularly to but.
terfiies and small birds. althoIIgb 1r1anv
OF them are fond of chameIeOus am
lizards. frequently the same tattoo
worker who has been employed bv the
sailors of ship performs the sans
work or art Tor one of the officers
wives. The desire for the colored de-
signs seems TO follow the shin en5F a
SEXES men and women alike.