Written and Illustrated by Zac Feight
Classic Tattooing
Copyright ©2022 by Zac Feight All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Book design and illustration by Zac Feight
Acknowledgements The creation of this project is dedicated to each of my mentors in the tattoo industry. You have shown me what tattooing means and what it means to be a tattoo artist.
Contents Chapter 1 Cap Coleman
12
Chapter Paul Rogers
20
Chapter 3 Sailor Jerry
28
Chapter 5 Huck Spaulding
38
Chapter 6 Charlie Wagner
44
Chapter 7 Samuel O’Reilly
50
Chapter 8 Interview
56 Contents / 7
Introduction The history of tattooing is impossible to trace. It has been trailed back in the mist of time, far beyond any reach of archaeologist. While the history dates back far, many of those years are rooted in disapproval and prohibition. Tattooing has become an accepted and is now viewed as a form of self-expression. Tattooing is no longer a badge of rebellion and outsider status, in fact, it has become a part of mainstream culture, shown off with pride by celebrities, moms, and ordinary working people. Electric tattooing as we know it today was invented in the 19th century in the bowery district In New York city. In the early days of American tattooing, tattoos were worn by outlaws of society. More specifically, by sailors, soldiers, and outsiders of society. The designs that were being developed were simple and powerful and would be quickly coined as “traditional tattooing”. Common imaginary that would enter the tattooing industry would be clipper ships, panthers, crosses, roses, daggers, eagles, dragons, and other no8 / Introduction
table cartoon characters of that era. Tattooist would quickly discover that using bold outlines with heavily saturated color and smooth shading was the proper techniques for creating body art that would stand the test of time. Over 100 years later, techniques and clientele have expanded but traditional imagery has stood the test of time remains a favorite in the modern era. Hand painted tattoo flash sheets would be covered in shops throughout the country for clients to choose from. These sheets would then be repainted, stolen, purchased, and traded between artists. From one artist to another, each sheet would take on a life of its own and serving a different purposed in each shop. Theses sheets would collect original designs and be used as menu while also transporting tattoo imagery throughout the years. Classic tattooing is a brief glimpse into the first 90 years of American tattooing from tattooist like Samuel O’Reilly, Cap Coleman, and Huck Spaulding. Through a personal collection and other resources the book lovingly incorporates illustrative designs and history from each of the tattooist and hopes to give the audience a token of knowledge.
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1 August “cap” Coleman was born on October 15th, 1885, in Ohio. He was 5’4, weighing about 145lbs, with grey hair and eyes with a rugged complexion. During his younger years, it is quite difficult to find any information on Coleman. Not only Cap himself but also his family. Although we don’t know much, the documentation that has been gathered shows that the Coleman family linage goes back to Germany. There is one good explanation for the missing information on Coleman’s childhood years, his family joining the wild lifestyle of the carnival. In the early 1800’s and 1900’s, the carnivals are where tattoo artists would cut their teeth and learn how to tattoo. Also, the carnival is where you would attend to go get your tattoos. The carnival workers would help push their audience members to getting tattoos. This includes provide pre-drawn colorful designs to attract customers to their booths. Hanging pre-made designs like this is known as the term tattoo ‘flash’. Cap Coleman / 13
Coleman was known as the human picture Gallery. There is documentation that Cap learned to tattoo from his father. In fact, some of Colemans tattoos were by his father. Paul Rogers, another tattoo legend, who worked with Cap later in life, was very hesitant to believe this story. Although suspicious, it would make sense if the Coleman family was traveling around the country with the carnival. He would have received many tattoos from carnival works as he moved from one location to the next. Coleman was a very stubborn man, set on make a fortune, his of tattoos, whether a result of his life as a human wonder or because of his love for tattoos, would be the path he chose to walk down. Around 1912 Coleman began tattooing and wanted to gain a deeper understand of the craft of tattooing. As her returned home to Cincinnati from the summer carnival shows he sought out renowned tattooist, Prof. Barber. Jessie F. Barber was a well-established and had his own studio on vine street in Cincinnati. Cap would take a break from the Carnival lifestyle for a season. During this time, Coleman gained tattoos and learned the craft. So much so when establishing his own studio in life, Coleman, adopted the moniker of ‘Prof ’ when establishing his own studio. The next 8 years, Cap would continue to travel and preform shows with the carnival. By 1918, World war was in full swing, and a brand-new naval base was being built in Norfolk, Virginia. Coleman using this opportunity to relocate and settle down. 14 / Cap Coleman
Norfolk, Virginia quickly became a very active port. East main street where Coleman would eventually open his tattoo shop was the hub of activity. Cap’s style was very recognizable and cutting edge. His designs had hold lines and excellent use of shading. Coleman understood that his quality of tattoos was much better than other tattooist. Because of this he was known for pointing out poor work and his shop and bossiness cards were displayed ‘if you must get tattooed, let Coleman do it”. Coleman was one of the best tattooists on the planet but was critiqued for his rude attitude. Coleman essential lived at the shop and was any individual’s hater. Often, he would not give people the time of day. He was not afraid to let a sailor know he does not have one good tattoo on him. Throughout the years, Coleman built his reputation and business. During the 1930’s and 1940’s tattooing would become more acceptable and more popular than ever. However, this would not last long, as it became less acceptable to get tattoos and the Navy started to discourage sailors to get tattoos. By the 1950’s, Norfolk City Council would pass law to make tattooing illegal. Coleman would then move across Elizabeth River to Portsmouth, where he continued to tattoo. Sadly, in 1973, Coleman had an accident falling into a river and did not survive.
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Chapter 1
The Coleman Dragon
It should be understood that Coleman is considered the father of American tattooing. The dragon is praised as one of the most recognizable early 20th century designs. The design holds a special place in tattooing visual vocabulary. This means it holds standards such as panthers, eagles, skulls, daggers, roses, military insignia, roses, and other religious iconography. The Coleman dragon is one of the most iconic designs from the legendary Cap Coleman. The design is stylized with elements from classic Chinese dragons and American traditional dragon. The design is timeless and has been passed down through generation of tattooists. The dragon is being replicated daily almost line for line because of its beauty, power, and simplicity of American tattooing. Because of the strength of the design, it will continue to play an important role in tattooing. It will live on through contemporary flash sheets and fit best for striking back piece tattoos. Cap Coleman / 17
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Chapter 1
Coleman Lady Figures
During the early years of tattooing, tattooist were a reflection of their environment. The internet did not exist to find a good reference photo to draw from so they could only draw what they saw. Also, during this time, sailors would bring in flyers and advertisements from their favorite show and demand it as a tattoo. In the 1920’s and 1930’s Coleman become known for his flappers and burlesque women. The ladies are beautiful, often dressed in long flowing evening gowns, gloves, flowers, and other eccentric items. Because of this it peaked interest of other tattoo designs such as gypsy girls, feathered Indians, hula girls, and cowgirls. The designs and simple and beautiful and have stood the test of time. Like many Coleman designs, they are being tattooed line for line in tattoo studios across the country daily.
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2 Paul Rogers was born in 1905 in the North Carolina mountains. Rogers grew up with a rough lifestyle and. Because of that he quickly had to grow up. He spent his early years moving around one cotton town to the next, as the family looked for work. During this period, it was completely free enterprise, and no child labor laws. Rogers began working in the plants at 13 years of age. Luckily for Paul, he was able to find his able to exist those grievous work conditions through tattooing. In 1926, Rodgers got his first tattoo at a voyaging carnival. He received the tattoo from Chet Cain. It was through Cain that Rogers became aware of Cap Coleman. A tattoo behemoth and who Rogers would go on to work with later in life. Two years after receiving his tattoo from Cain, Rogers decided to start tattooing. Rogers began tattooing in his room and experimenting on himself and any neighbors that were willing to provide fresh skin. However, he ran out of Paul Rogers / 21
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Chapter 2
Rogers Black Rose
The black rose design is a classic design from Paul Rogers. Like many of his designs, the design is constantly being reference or tattooed line for line. It has stood the test of time because of its simplicity and beauty. Rose designs are done everywhere around the world, widely acknowledged to represent love, compassion, and beauty. The black rose design has a slightly different meaning. The design generally represents a commemorative of a physical loss such as death, moving forward to a better place, death of a relationship. The black rose design is combines beauty while still representing strength in a time of grief.
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fragile living creatures. Because of this he decided he need to join a voyaging carnival that would allow him to gain new clients and experiences. During this time, it was quite common for tattooist to make their living working in a carnival. All through the 1930’s Paul would spend his winters working the cotton mills and his summers working the carnival. In 1942, Rogers was presented the opportunity to open his own tattoo shop in Charleston, South Carolina. After opening his shop, Rogers was finally able to quit working at the millwork and focus entirely on his craft of tattooing. During his time In Charleston, he was seeing many cases of Cap Colemans tattoos on sailors. He noticed the consistency and perfection Colemans tattoos had compared to others. Because of this Rogers would end up designing his tattoos after Colemans. Paul would take tracing of the tattoos of each Coleman tattoo that walked into his shop. In 1945, Rogers and Coleman would begin a five-year journey together. After Coleman mistakenly confused many Paul Rogers tattoos with his own, he invited Rogers to come work with him. Although Rogers did not take a necessarily take liking to Colemans offbeat identity, he was the one of, if not the biggest tattooist in the world. There was so much tattoo knowledge to be learned. Rogers learned and grew immensely during his time with Coleman. One thing particularly was learning how to build and tune tattoo machines. He ended up helping build and tune other tattooist machines that 24 / Paul Rogers
were around the area. This aloud Rogers to prefect the craft of machine building. In 1950, Rodgers and Colemans relationship would come to end after Norfolk made tattooing illegal. Rodger would end up moving back down to his home state in Jacksonville, North Carolina. While working in his Jacksonville shop, he met Huck Spaulding who was another tattooist. Spaulding lacked experience but was a genuine craftsman. Paul would eventually move into Hucks shop where he would help Spaulding learn to tattoo in exchange for craftsmanship. The two would go on to form world famous Spaulding and Rogers MFG. Which would become the world’s largest Tattoo supply company. Rogers Tattoo machine orders as his were the best machines being built. He would build these machines in “The Iron Factory”, which was a small tin shed. Because Rogers was the gold standard for machine building, Machine builders from around the globe would gather in the tin shed. The machine heads would soak up any information Rogers bestow upon them to replicate the tattoo machine. Paul Roger would end up passing away in a nursing home at age eighty-four, 1988. Roger’s legacy lives on today in the tattoo world. His machine concepts and frame geometry are still being referenced by the best machine builder in modern day. Most importantly many tattooists consider one of the most influential tattooists in the industry. Paul Rogers / 25
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Chapter 2
Crosses Crosses, crucifixes, praying hands, Rock of Ages, and other religious iconography are staples of American traditional tattooing. Ironically, Circus and sideshow exhibits were some of the main groups getting these holy tattoos. In the public eye, they were identified as rebellious and having a disregard for god. Rogers learned tattooing in these sideshows which would force him to create some of the most elegant religious tattoos. The circus and sideshow folks believed that getting these tattoos would be less likely to upset the public audience. Which would then lead to the circus clientele to feel more inclined to pay to attend the attractions. In fact, some circus exhibitions became notable for there religious tattoos. Showing off over 400 godly designs on their bodies.
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3 Probably one of the most recognizable names in the tattooing industry is, the great, ‘Sailor Jerry’. Born as Norman Keith Collins on January 14, 1911 is a giant in the world of tattooing. As tattooing started to become more prominent in the 1920’s it was still considered a mark of not blindly following the mainstream. Choosing to become tattooed meant you were choosing to live outside the lines rather than blindly in the middle of the road. As a young teenager, Collins chose to leave home and start to travel the country by hitchhiking by train. Groups of young teenagers and older folks with him were all bypassing the American dream in search for something different. Despite the hardship they faced, it was worth is if they experienced freedom. During this time Norman Keith Collins would first explore his craft. With a single needle he slowly began creating tattoos one poke at a time. Collins would end up traveling to Chicago were he would meet with a local tattoo legend, Gib Paul Rogers / 29
‘tatts’ Thomas. ‘Tatts’ Thomas would mentor Collins and show him to use a tattoo machine. For practice, he would pay bums with wine or a few cents to tattoo them. Eventually, Collins had to join the Navy. This presented a young man with an opportunity to travel the world, which was enticing for someone who had been traveling the country riding in freight trains. After Collins finished his time in the Navy, he would end up settling in Honolulu in the 1930’s. At the time, they were just a cluster of islands, but after the bombing of Pearl Harbor at the height of WWII everything changed. Over twelve million Americans were enlisted and large majority of them at any giving moment were on leave in Honolulu. Because of the circumstance of the war, it created a culture that typically only existed in the fringes. This culture blossomed in place like Honolulu’s Hotel Street. Honolulu’s Hotel Street was comprised of bars, brothels, and tattoos parlors. It was where Collins, as Sailor Jerry Built his legacy. Soldiers and sailors wanted to live their lives to the fullest by drinking, enjoying the company of women, and getting tattooed. During the time of WWII, Jerry was deeply influenced by the culture the war created. This includes practical tattoos that dealt with issues of the war and Japanese. Japanese tattooists are considered some of the most respected and sophisticated tattooist in the world. Jerry was one of the first westerner to correspond with Japanese masters of 30 / Paul Rogers
tattooing. They would exchange ideas, techniques, and tracings. Sailor Jerry was obsessed with perfecting tattooing as a craft. He dedicated himself to learning every single detail of the Japanese tattoo style. This ranges from the crash effect, tones, and different shading techniques. Because of his obsession of tattooing, he was able to combine the both the American style and the Japanese style of tattooing together. By doing this he was one of the first American tattooist to fuse background into his tattoos. Not only does Sailor Jerry most impressive resumé on earth, but he was also a pioneer in the industry. He was constantly on the forefront of new industry advancements. While it might not sound like much, he invented the purple-colored ink which was at one time thought to be harmful to a person’s skin. Moreover, he was one of the first tattooist to take sterilization seriously. Most importantly, Jerry created better tools to make tattooing better such as new needle configurations, power supplies, and machines. Norman Keith Collins died on June 12, 1973, three days after suffering a heart attack while riding his baby blue Harley Davidson. Jerry legacy lives on today through tattooing. Each design he created is timeless and powerful being hung in every respectable shop across America.
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Chapter 3
Military Traditions Sailor Jerry designs are some of the most iconic designs in the tattoo industry. Many of the flash sheets he created have been duplicated and are still hanging on the walls of tattoo shops across the country. Often times, his designs would relate to the shenanigans of the sailors on leave. Some of these classic designs include “man’s ruin” which is a woman in a cocktail glass surrounded by dice, cards, and money signs. Another design was “death before dishonor” which is a dagger stabbing a heart with the words incorporated into the design. Both these designs relate to the culture that the atmosphere hotel street created, and the obvious struggles sailors faced before leaving for war. Around this time, serviceman also started to get tattoos that would create their own tradition. For example, pig and rooster tattoos on each foot were good luck for sailors. If a shipwrecked, the wooden cages that these animals were stored in would become personal floatation devices. Similar tattoos like these ones included swallows, shellback turtle, and nautical stars. Paul Rogers / 33
4 Tattooing is a very permanent procedure. In the early 19th century of tattooing, we lacked the scientific information to create stencils like the ones we have today. Because of the lack of information, tattooist was forced to use acetate stencils. A tattooist or an apprentice would take a sewing needle and place into a pin vice. Carefully, using the sewing machine the needle would leave a deep scratch in the plastic acetate. After this, powder charcoal would be sprinkled into the etching and then pressed into the scratch. In order to transfer the stencil to the skin, the excess powder must be dusted off and a thin layer Vaseline must be placed onto the skin. The Vaseline that was placed onto the skin would capture the charcoal powder leaving a very delicate outline. So much so the tattooist was not able to wipe off excess ink when progressing through the tattoo. Each acetate stencil was incredibly reliable and would allow multiple uses clients. The acetate 34 / Stencils
stencil represented an outline of the tattoo flash that was hanging in the shop. Many tattoo shops would have hundreds to even thousands of the hand cut acetates. Much like tattoos themselves, each one of the small plastic acetates hold an important part of the history of tattooing. Acetate stencils were also a great helping tattooist exchange designs with one another. This was done by laying tracing paper over the etched side of the stencil and rubbing lead over the paper and a copy of the design would appear. After doing this, the designs were then able to be cut out and mailed to shops and other tattooist. This is just one of the many ways tattoo designs circulated around the world.
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5 Huck Spaulding was born December 5, 1928. He served as a merchant marine and was part of the US Army. He had many endeavors such as stock car racing, big game hunting, and of course tattooing. While serving as a Marine in Jacksonville Florida, Huck met Paul Rodgers. Rogers saw that Spaulding lacked experience and lacked technique in tattooing. This may have been due to Huck Spaulding never working in Carnival side shows. None the less, Rogers would help Huck prefect the craft of tattooing. After working with Rogers, Spaulding was able to open his own shop called “Spaulding court street shop”. Learning from Paul Rogers and opening his own shop gave Huck Spaulding a very unique opportunity. This opportunity was the tattoo supply company, Spaulding and Rogers MFG. The supply company would end up being founded and go on to be a behemoth in the industry and being the first supply company to be a mass distributor of their products. More specifically, Spaulding was the first perHuck Spaulding/ 39
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son selling the dream of tattooing. Creating the first ever tattoo supply kit and how to tattoo book . During this time, many tattooist needed an entry point to get into the industry and many of them would scrap money together to purchase this supply kit. Spaulding became a very controversial figure within the tattooing industry. This is because is may have been allowing people that were undeserving enter into the industry. Paul Rogers name being attached to the company was one of the main reasons Huck got creditability. Don Ed Hardy described Huck Spaulding a “one of the Forefathers of the tattoo renaissance”. D.E. Hardy himself is considered one of the forefathers of tattooing himself. Not only that but Hardy was apprenticed by the grandfather of tattooing, Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins, which shows that importance of Hardy’s comment and Spaulding’s influence had on tattooing. The art and craftsmanship of tattooing needed Huck Spaulding to progress where it is today.
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Chapter 5
Spaulding & Rogers Supreme Spaulding & Roger MFG. was one of the biggest tattoo supply company when it was created in 1956. Of course, it was created by Huck Spaudling and Paul Rogers. The company sold supplies such as tattoo tubes, needles, sterilization kits, and tattoo machines. The company was not only producing tattoo products but they were also the first company to mass produce machines. The Spaulding and Rogers supreme tattoo machine was just one of a few machines the Spaulding and Rogers produced. The supreme tattoo machine is important because it was a tool that many of the best tattooist today used to do their first tattoos with. The machine was perfected by Rogers with perfect frame geometry and made the job of tattooing easier. Because of this many of the best machine builders of today are still replicating this exact machine build. Without the creation of this machine, the tattoo industry would not be nearly as advanced as it is today. Huck Spaulding / 43
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6 Tattooing has a long and crazy history. Charlie Wagner was one of the first tattoo artist and the first to have a documented tattoo shop. Wagner was born on January 20, 1875, in the Austro Hungarian Empire. When Charlie was around five years old, in 1880, his family immigrated to New York city. During these early years his family would live in over crowed tenants, explore vices of the city, and learned about the tattoo world. As an adult, Charlie Wagner was mentored by Samuel F. O’Reilly, one of the most important tattooists ever. Samuel O’Reilly one of the first documented tattooist and created the first ever electric tattoo machine in 1891. Just before then, Charlie Wagner deiced to open his own tattoo shop when he was twenty years old. Wagner’s shop would be located in the Bowery district of New York City. The Bowery was known for being a culture hub and reminiscent of a circus. More specifically, you were able to get two un-clean shaves for ten cents or one shave with a drink and clean towel. People hopCharlie Wagner / 45
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ing to make a career in sideshows associated within the bowery district. Like many sideshows character of that generation, were seeking out full body tattoos. This created a massive market for tattooist. Adult men and sometimes women, but often times younger teenagers were seeking out Charlie Wagner’s tattoos. Through these sideshow clients is how Wagner’s tattoos gained fame. He often tattoos designs such as eagles, pin-up girls, crosses, and flowers. Much like his mentor, Samuel O’Reilly, creating the first ever electric tattoo machine. Wagner’s greatest contribution to the tattoo industry was invention of a new tattoo machine. In 1904, he introduced the new tattoo machine which featured coils that were placed up right and a tube assembly system. The design the machine that was based off the electric bell and dental plugger. Clients would flock to Wagner’s tattoo shop because they heard that the new tattoo machine would be much faster and less painful. Charlie Wagner would go on to tattoo for fifty years. Even tattooing through the stock market crash that led to the great depression. In fact, he remained very popular during that dreadful time period. By the time of his death in 1953, Charlie Wagner was a wellestablished tattooist. Over one hundred years later, that same exact coil and frame geometry is being replicated by tattoo machine builders. Because of the contributions he made to the tattoo industry cemented himself as on of the greatest names in American tattooing. Charlie Wagner / 47
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Chapter 6
Wagner Machine Wagner is considered a tattoo maverick. To his credit, he was tattooing some of the biggest side show attractions of that era. Without these major attractions, his work alone was quality and was the standard with his time. However, Wagner’s most important contributio was his patent of the tattoo machine. Charlie Wagner tattoo machine idea was patent in 1904. His machine was the first machine to feature coils that sat in the vertical position, that is, in line with the tube vice. This is considered one of the most innovative machine designs ever. In fact, almost all machine builders today use this alignment.
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7 Samuel O’Reilly was born May 1854, Waterbury, New Haven, Connecticut. There is not much information on O’Reilly’s early years. It is understood that O’Reilly is from Irish decent. From little documentation there is on Samuel O’Reilly, he had a very trouble youth but would end up being the one of the most important tattooists to ever live. O’Reilly had a very troubled childhood. He was a lawbreaker and rebel. This may have been due him entering the workforce at the very early age of nine. By the time he was nineteen-years of age, he was employed in a local clock shop that specialized in brass production. Samuel O’Reilly’s workforce career did not last for long. Form the time he started working at nineteen and for the next ten years, he would go on a path of lawlessness. One of his first major run ins with the laws was in 1873, with two of his friends, robbed a general store. Samuel O’Reilly was sentenced to two years of hard labor in the Wethersfield state prison. Samuel O’Reilly / 51
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After serving his time, Samuel O’Reily would end up joining the marine corps in 1875. He would serve for four months before deserting his squadron in 1876. After deserting, he would travel back to his hometown of Waterbury. It wasn’t long before O’Reilly would yet again rob another general store. After this, O’Reilly would escape arrest and flee to Detroit, Michigan. However, he would eventually turn himself in and was escorted back to Connecticut. After this prison sentence, O’Reilly changed his life completely. Perhaps the strict prison regimen instilled discipline and allowed his life to flourish. By almost all accounts, by the 1880’s, Samuel O’Reilly became, ‘Prof. Sam O’Reilly, King of the bowery tattooers. It is unsure of the actual date Samuel O’Reilly broke into the tattooing industry, between 1883 and 1885 his whereabouts were a mystery. It is assumed that within the first half of the 1880’s he moved to New York city, left troubled past behind him, and learned the crafts of India ink, Chinese vermillion, and hand needles. By the end of the 1880’s he had become and established name in the tattooing industry. Samuel O’Reilly was mentored by one of the first professional tattooist in New York City, “old Matin” Hildebrandt. AIN 1875, he opened his own tattoo studio in Chatham square in the bowery district in New York City. Like many tattoo artist, he would tattoo plenty of sideshows and fully embrace the attention of public eye. Although O’reilly was a phenomenal tattooist, one of his biggest contributions to the tattoo indusSamuel O’Reilly / 53
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try was the invention of the tattoo machine. O’Reilly played a crucial role is developing upon Thomas Edison’s failed invention, the electric pen. One of the most important tattoo inventions to ever be made. This allowed tattooist to work at a much faster pace, allowing them to puncture the skin fifty times per second compared to two or three times per second while hand poking. On December 8th, 1891, Samuel O’Reilly Became the face of modern tattooing by receiving the first ever patient for the ever handheld tattoo machine. Because of this his tattooing skyrocketed. As tattooing slowly became more normalized everyone from outcast to wealthy individual wanted the opportunity to be tattooed and step foot into the bowery location. Samuel O’Reilly died in 1909 in a tragic fall as he was painting his house. However, his legacy would not go unnoticed, his invention of the tattoo machine allowed tattoo shops to open in different cities around the country and even Europe. Moreover, his legacy continues today as one of the most celebrated tattooist in the industry.
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8 Interviews Tattooist: Rob Kinzel Question #1: How long have you been tattooing and where was your apprenticeship? Response:I started my apprenticeship in 2004 in Philadelphia, when I was finishing school. However, my shop was located in Brooklyn. So, my mentor made me take all of my drawings and paintings to Olde City for critiques. Olde City is a really respected shop so it really helped me understand the respect for tattooing. Question #2: Why did you want to work in the tattoo industry? Response: I was always around tattooing. My grandfather was in the navy and he was cover from neck to toe in tattoos. He would go to Coney island and get tattooed by a tattooist named Brooklyn Blackie who was also a strongman for the Barnum and 56 / Rob Kinzel
Bailey Circus. My grandfather would watch the side shows and actual end up having more tattoos that them so he would end up on stage and be known as the tattooed sailor of Brooklyn. Blackie would end up apprenticing Tony Cambria. Years later, without knowing, it would come full circle and I would get my first tattoo from Tony. Question #2: When you were first learning to tattoo, was it important for you to understand the history of tattooing? Response: Absolutely, I had to know everything I was tattooing. When I started tattooing, I had to go to the library to use the card catalog for photo reference. So I was forced to understand what I was tattooing. It always important to know what you’re tattooing because you never want to put anything fucked up on someone. As a tattooer, should know who created the design and the meaning behind it. Question #3: Is there any specific tattooist that was influential to you when you began learning the history of tattooing? Response: I wanted to emulate myself after Tony Polito, who is a legend in the tattoo industry. He was never the best tattooist but he was the most respected. He treated everyone equally, hardworking, family man, and just a stand up dude. I never wanted to be famous, I just wanted to be tattooing.
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Bibliography C.W. Eldridge, Harriet Cohen. “Charlie Wagner .” Charlie Wagner, Tattoo Archive , 2017, https://www. tattooarchive.com/history/wagner_charlie.php. C.W. Eldridge, Harriet Cohen. “Stencils .” Stencils, Tattoo Archive , 2004, https://www.tattooarchive. com/history/stencils.php. Nyssen, Carmen. “Charlie Wagner-King of Bowery Tattooers.” Buzzworthy Tattoo History, Buzzworthy Tattoo History: Illuminating Tattooing’s Past, 25 Feb. 2019, https://buzzworthytattoo.com/tattooartists-tattooed-people/charlie-wagner/. Nyssen, Carmen. “Samuel F. O’Reilly.” Buzzworthy Tattoo History, Buzzworthy Tattoo History: Illuminating Tattooing’s Past, 4 May 2019, https://buzzworthytattoo.com/tattoo-artists-tattooed-people/ samuel-f-oreilly/. 58 / Bibliography
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Electric tattooing has become one of the most popular forms of self-expression in the modern era. It has become apart of main-stream society and is no longer a mark of an outlaw. Classic Tattooing is a brief glimpse into the history of American tattooing. Through a collection of personal and other resources the book will run through tattooist like Cap Coleman, Paul Rogers, Charlie Wagner, and others.