Once upon a time, before the advent of the indie rocker and the alternative chick, before primitivism became a style trend and tattoo parlors set up shop on the good avenues, tattoos were the secret language of a restricted world, a world of criminals. Learn More
American tattoo master Sailor Jerry Collins of Hawaii is best known for his remarkable tattoo designs, blending the fluidity of Asian motifs into classic American tattoo imagery. Learn More
Old school tattooers (late 19th-mid 20th century) kept hoards of material that they had created, collected, and inherited. In addition to machines, tools, and pigments, this included design sheets, tracings, stencil ruboffs, paper ephemera (news articles and images that might make good designs), photos, receipt books, addresses for supply sources, and correspondence. Learn More
'Tattoos tell stories, even when they don't. They speak of who we are, where we've been, where we're going. They demarcate (or, sometimes, establish solidarity between) both the viewer and the body in question, to which the photographs, poetry and prose within the pages of Skin Deep will attest.' - from the introduction Learn More