Photograph of a Young Woman receiving an applique tattoo to her leg.
New York: King Features Syndicate, 1930. Unbound. Good. Item #022021
Single sheet, 9 ¼ by 4 ¼ inches. Black and white photo with some stamping and a partial text caption pasted to the reverse. This reads, "For charm? This Newest 'Tattoo Fad," Which embosses Gay Colored Designs Upon the Limbs of Smart Fashionables, May Not Lend the Esthetic Beauty Claimed, But It's at Least a Far," and the rest is missing. The photo shows a young woman in a robe, with an older woman applying a large tattoo to the woman's leg, with a dish and bottle of colored liquid on the floor. We presume this photo may have been intended for a newspaper or magazine article on tattooing. No indication of who the woman in the photo is. Tattooing in the 1920s and 1930s was still far from accepted in the United States. The 1930s saw people get social security number tattoos, but for the most part the art of tattooing was considered a bit scandalous. Given that, the photo of a woman prominently displaying a tattoo, for potential publication in the media, seems a bit out of the ordinary for the period. GOOD condition. Minor curling. Some soiling, staining and toning to the reverse, along with several stamps from King Features Syndicate.
Price: $175.00