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- "Flower Roll" Tattoo Flash, 2022 - Carrie Metz-Caporusso is a queer tattooist based in Michigan; in 2021, they created the "flower roll" tattoo for plus-sized bodies. Metz-Caporusso draws floral designs that align with the natural rolls of the body. These tattoos exemplify some of the strides made by the Fat Rights or Body Positivity movement, which began in the late-1960s and reached a zenith in the 2010s.
- 2022
- Collections - Artifact
"Flower Roll" Tattoo Flash, 2022
Carrie Metz-Caporusso is a queer tattooist based in Michigan; in 2021, they created the "flower roll" tattoo for plus-sized bodies. Metz-Caporusso draws floral designs that align with the natural rolls of the body. These tattoos exemplify some of the strides made by the Fat Rights or Body Positivity movement, which began in the late-1960s and reached a zenith in the 2010s.
- Tattoo Sketch, 1915-1950 - Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- 1915-1950
- Collections - Artifact
Tattoo Sketch, 1915-1950
Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- Tattoo Sketch, 1915-1950 - Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- 1915-1950
- Collections - Artifact
Tattoo Sketch, 1915-1950
Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- Tattoo Flash Portfolio, circa 1918 - Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- circa 1918
- Collections - Artifact
Tattoo Flash Portfolio, circa 1918
Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- Tattoo Flash, circa 1925 - Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- circa 1925
- Collections - Artifact
Tattoo Flash, circa 1925
Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- Tattoo Stencil, 1915-1950 - Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- 1915-1950
- Collections - Artifact
Tattoo Stencil, 1915-1950
Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- Tattoo Stencils, 1920-1922 - Tattoo stencils range in material from disposable paper to plastic. Designs were drawn on transfer paper or scratched into plastic with a needle. With plastic stencils, powdered charcoal was rubbed into the lines; Vaseline was applied to the skin. When the stencil was pressed against the skin, the charcoal transferred as an outline. Stencils allowed tattooists to circulate and exchange ideas.
- 1920-1922
- Collections - Artifact
Tattoo Stencils, 1920-1922
Tattoo stencils range in material from disposable paper to plastic. Designs were drawn on transfer paper or scratched into plastic with a needle. With plastic stencils, powdered charcoal was rubbed into the lines; Vaseline was applied to the skin. When the stencil was pressed against the skin, the charcoal transferred as an outline. Stencils allowed tattooists to circulate and exchange ideas.
- Tattoo Stencils, 1923-1926 - Tattoo stencils range in material from disposable paper to plastic. Designs were drawn on transfer paper or scratched into plastic with a needle. With plastic stencils, powdered charcoal was rubbed into the lines; Vaseline was applied to the skin. When the stencil was pressed against the skin, the charcoal transferred as an outline. Stencils allowed tattooists to circulate and exchange ideas.
- 1923-1926
- Collections - Artifact
Tattoo Stencils, 1923-1926
Tattoo stencils range in material from disposable paper to plastic. Designs were drawn on transfer paper or scratched into plastic with a needle. With plastic stencils, powdered charcoal was rubbed into the lines; Vaseline was applied to the skin. When the stencil was pressed against the skin, the charcoal transferred as an outline. Stencils allowed tattooists to circulate and exchange ideas.
- Manuscript for the Book "Skin Deep," circa 1926 - Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- circa 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Manuscript for the Book "Skin Deep," circa 1926
Tattoos communicate stories. Their content ranges from deeply personal and traditional--to regrettable and frivolous. In the early 1900s, "Professor" Waters apprenticed as a tattoo artist in carnivals and New York's Bowery District. He ran a successful supply shop in Detroit (1918-1939), patenting the standard "two-coil" tattoo machine in 1929. Designs from his flash sheets continue to inspire tattooists today.
- Tattooed Man, circa 1885 - This unidentified "tattooed man" with patriotic tattoos was photographed by Charles Eisenmann in his Bowery district studio. Eisenmann captured the eclectic mix of people who frequented the Bowery, including circus performers like this -- a likely client of the area's infamous tattoo parlors. Eisenmann's images were reproduced for sale in the form of cabinet cards, popular among the middle class.
- circa 1885
- Collections - Artifact
Tattooed Man, circa 1885
This unidentified "tattooed man" with patriotic tattoos was photographed by Charles Eisenmann in his Bowery district studio. Eisenmann captured the eclectic mix of people who frequented the Bowery, including circus performers like this -- a likely client of the area's infamous tattoo parlors. Eisenmann's images were reproduced for sale in the form of cabinet cards, popular among the middle class.