"Mario and Yvonne" Polynesian Tattoo Poster

Completely tattooed Mario and Yvonne's inspiration is derived from the Marquesas Islands in the Polynesian Pacific, it is from there that the word 'tatow' or'tatau' meaning to mark something originates. For centuries the Marquesas were known and feared due to the cannibalistic rituals of the inhabitants. Entire groups of tribes-men, women and children were tattooed from their fingertips to their toes, under the hairline, on their genitals and even in their mouths. Boys and girls as young as eight were tattooed in preparation for puberty and the process for many was not complete until the age of 30. The Marquesas are famous for their solid black and layered tattooing known as 'pahupahu', this can be seen on Mario's body and on Yvonne's arms. Traditionally it was commonly applied to boys or warriors as a disguise and separated them from all other Polynesian tattoo forms. Nowhere in the world even today can this, the extremist of all tattooing be found.

The first white tattooed woman

If you’ve never heard of a woman named Olive Oatman, then you’re not alone.  After all, Oatman died over one-hundred-years ago in Texas, at the age of 66.  You didn’t study her in your high school history class and chances are that no one ever mentioned her in any of your university or college courses either.  Yet Olive Oatman lead a remarkable life.

For starters, she was the first white tattooed woman in the history of the United States.  I’m not talking about some little anchor tattoo on her shoulder, either.  Oatman’s tattoo was hardcore even by today’s standards: 5 blue vertical bars that ran from her lower lip to the base of her chin.  What made a teenage Mormon girl do such a thing?  The story of how Olive Oatman became who she became is even more interesting than the tattoo itself.

In 1851, at the age of 13, Oatman and her family set out from Illinois to California.  Along the way, the family lost its bearings and ended up in what is today known as Arizona.  Here they were ambushed by Yavapai Indians.  Olive’s family was murdered, except for her brother (who escaped without Olive knowing), her sister Mary Ann and of course, Olive.  The two sisters were taken captive by the Yavapais and became slaves for a year until they were sold to a Mohave tribe.  Shortly after, Olive and her sister were tattooed by the Mohave people with the dust from ground blue stones.  Mary Ann died of starvation and Olive continued to live with the Mohave people, who treated her as one of their own.

It wasn’t until 1856 that an army search was launched for Mary Ann and Olive Oatman.  Olive was found after two months and brought back to live in white America.  Olive was devastated by this removal from her adopted tribe.  Some time later, Oatman began to sell her story and speak in public - which attracted quite a lot of fanfare, given her extremely unusual tattoo.

Olive Oatman’s story has much more to it than what I could ever hope to cover here.  If you’re interested in learning the entire story from beginning to end, author Margot Mifflin has just released an entirely comprehensive book on the subject, called The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman.  The book’s already received rave reviews and for good reason.

source

Electra Designs Custom Corsets

FUUUUN!!!

source

Tattoo Coca Cola

So You're Getting Your First Tattoo?

f you are getting your first tattoo  you must think very well before you do it. Cause, you know, it will stay on your skin forever  (unless u do some lasering, but its sooo painful). Why you want to get a tattoo? Which tattoo you want? ON which peace of your skin? And  probably most important question - where. Where is the best tattoo studio ?! Not easy huh? I hope that this video that i found will help you to answer all this questions and you will get best tattoo ever.

Zoe Lacchei

Meet very cool artist Zoe Lacchei and her Geisha Collection!

Photo of the Day

source

Interview with Dr.Lakra

The name — Dr. Lakra — conjures up images of a B-movie mad scientist. The art may be even stranger. Vintage Mexican magazine pinups and luchador photo spreads are the canvas for Dr. Lakra’s dense web of symbols and provocations.

In person, however, the tattoo artist born Jerónimo López Ramírez is small and soft-spoken as he banters with the crew helping him paint a wall-size mural for his first American solo show, “Dr. Lakra,’’ at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Tattoo Girls

sourse

Pain-O-Meter

Just for fun :)

The popularity of tattooing during the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century owed much to the circus. When circuses prospered, tattooing prospered. When circuses went bankrupt, tattooed people and artists were out of work.For over 70 years every major circus employed several completely tattooed people. Some were exhibited in sideshows, other performed in traditional circus acts such as juggling and sword swallowing.

Tattoo Process

Artists create tattoos by injecting ink into a person's skin. To do this, they use an electrically powered tattoo machine that resembles (and sounds like) a dental drill. The machine moves a solid needle up and down to puncture the skin between 50 and 3,000 times per minute. The needle penetrates the skin by about a millimeter and deposits a drop of insoluble ink into the skin with each puncture.

The tattoo machine has remained relatively unchanged since its invention by Samuel O'Reilly in the late 1800s. O'Reilly based his design on the autographic printer , an engraving machine invented by Thomas Edison.

When you look at a person's tattoo, you're seeing the ink through the epidermis, or the outer layer of skin. The ink is actually in the dermis, which is the second layer of the skin. The cells of the dermis are far more stable than the cells of the epidermis, so the tattoo's ink will stay in place, with minor fading and dispersion, for a person's entire life.

source

A brief history of tattoos

The word tattoo is said to has two major derivations- from
the polynesian word ‘ta’ which means striking something
and the tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means ‘to mark something’.

the history of tattoo began over 5000 years ago and is as
diverse as the people who wear them.

tattoos are created by inserting colored materials beneath
the skins surface. the first tattoos probably were created
by accident. someone had a small wound, and rubbed it
with a hand that was dirty with soot and ashes from the fire.
once the wound had healed, they saw that a mark stayed
permanently.

despite the social sciences' growing fascination with tattooing,
and the immense popularity of tattoos themselves,
the practice has not left much of a historical record.