26 Badass Vintage Photos Of Tattoos From History
A look back at early ink, presented by Getty Images.
A woman with full body tattoos sits for a portrait, circa 1907.
Japanese tattoo artist Tokumitsu Uchida works over the outline of a design during the 1950s.
A Japanese man shows off his full body tattoos in 1958.
A service woman has a tattoo done on her arm in Aldershot, England, in 1951.
A tattoo artist paints a permanent beauty spot on the cheek of a woman at his workshop in Copenhagen in 1956.
Left: Four cooks from the HMS Belfast show off their tattoos in 1961. Right: A tattooist paints a small rose on the thigh of a woman in 1961.
Tattooist Les Skuse works on a large Japanese scene across the back of a client in 1960.
Left: Two men check out designs in the window of a Copenhagen tattoo parlor in 1956. Right: Tools and ink crowd the workbench of New York tattooist Charlie Wagner in the 1940s.
A young boy admires the tattoos on the backs of Japanese men at a rally held for tattooists and their clients in 1958.
An Ainu woman from northern Japan shows off her tattooed lips, circa 1960. Her upper lip was slashed during childhood and ashes were rubbed in to leave a scar.
Left: A Maori woman poses for a studio portrait with lips and chin freshly tattooed, circa 1900. Right: A Maori chief from New Zealand sits for a portrait bearing traditional facial tattoos in 1950.
Forbes A. Hendry, a tattooist In British Columbia, tattoos a small boy's foot with his name in 1965.
Left: A tattooist works on a chest piece in 1964. Right: A tattoo artist inks a client in 1960 with the name of her partner, Jim.
Jacobus Van Dyn, known to Londoners as the Tattoo Man, tries out a few holds in the dressing room before a contest in his new profession of wrestling in 1936.
Left: Famed tattoo artist George Burchett works on a client's thigh in 1930. Right: A man in 1948 has an arm tattoo of a former lover changed into a snake.
Tattooist Ronald Austin creates a crucifix tattoo on the chest of a client in 1960.
Left: A young woman shows off her chest tattoo of a horse and jockey in 1930. Right: A man shows off back tattoos of cherubs and dancing girls, also circa 1930.
A tattoo enthusiast flaunts scenes of dragons, flowers, and religious scenes in 1930.
Farmer Jasper Ely shows off his tattooed calves at a Bristol tattoo club in 1960.
See more pictures of early tattoos at Getty Images.
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Gabriel H. Sanchez is the photo essay editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York City.
Contact Gabriel H. Sanchez at gabriel.sanchez@buzzfeed.com.
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