This fantastic blog exhibits exquisite examples from the history of tattooing based on the archival research and/or personal collection of the interdisciplinary scholar Anna Felicity Friedman.

It is also on facebook which is definitely worth liking, on instagram where you can follow it at @tattoohistorian or on twitter which can be found here.

Tattooed Marquesan from Shillibeer, 1817

(from private-collection Biehler flash, c. 1930s)

One of 4 locksmith’s tattoos in the “occupational” section of Riecke’s 1925 study of tattoos in “Today’s Europe”

All images courtesy of www.tattoohistorian.tumblr.com

I saw Bill on Columbia Road on Thursday, he was having a cigarette outside a betting shop and I noticed how great his arms looked. I followed him into the shop and he showed me his tattoos which he got in between 1975 and 1980 in Chingford, North East London. Sadly the microphone on my camera wasn’t working but I think the tattoos speak for themselves.

The day before yesterday I received this great email:

Yesterday while walking to work I saw Barry painting a door on Kingsland Road. I noticed that he had some great tattoos so I decided to stop to speak to him and ask if I could take some photos. Incredibly all of his tattoos were done by Les Skuse in Bristol in 1968! Barry was keen to confirm with me that it was Les who tattooed him and not his son.

Yesterday, while in the library I came across this rather incredible book. Not only are the photographs amazing but the descriptions with each image are out of this world! Although the book reads as being utterly sensational it still holds some important historical references to tattooing and rare images.

(Sorry for the bad quality photos)