19th Century Tattoos

[markj]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

Mark,

I believe I posted or made reference to these paintings in the first tattoo thread. Could you be thinking of them?

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/archive/exhibits/oneil/index.asp

Eastward Ho! and Home Again, painted in 1857 and 1858 by Henry Nelson O'Neil. If so, Eastward Ho! is the one the has a tattoed mariner offering a hand to a lady.

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the images, however I'm specifically looking for a French painting which we discussed. The artist of this work was definitely French, but, for the life of me, I can't remember his name. If I even had that, I could track down the painting (which I actually did, but it's all vanished into the ether).

Thanks again,

Mark Jaeger

[Matthew.Rector]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the images, however I'm specifically looking for a French painting which we discussed. The artist of this work was definitely French, but, for the life of me, I can't remember his name. If I even had that, I could track down the painting (which I actually did, but it's all vanished into the ether).

Thanks again,

Mark Jaeger

Mark,
After I posted that I remembered the image you were talking about, however, I didn't retain a copy.

[Tennessee Boy]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

Pvt Robert Strong of the 105th Illinois wrote:

"Well, when we rushed from the first line that we captured [Resaca] to the second line where the rebel cannon were, we of course captured a good many prisoners. Some of the enemy who refused to run or surrender were killed there. Some crawled under gun carriages to escape the storm of bullets and bayonets.

One big red-headed man, a cannoneer, crawled out and begged for quarter. He had his shirt off, and on one arm was tattoed in big letters 'Fort Pillow'. As soon as the boys saw the letters on his arm they yelled, 'No quarter to you!' and a dozen bayonets went into him and a dozen bullets were shot into him. I shall never forget his look of fear"

Hm, bet he wished he an anchor instead

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

The letters of Monitor crewman George S. Geer offer a remarkable glimpse aboard the ironclad and a rare perspective on a sailor's experience of the Civil War. Geer's letters were donated to The Mariners' Museum in 1997 by the Espy family of Savannah, Georgia.

"May 24, 1862
...I wish you could see the bodys of some of these old saylors: they are regular Picture Books. [They] have India Ink pricked all over their body. One has a Snake coiled around his leg, some have splendid done pieces of Coats of Arms of states, American Flags, and most all have the Crusifiction of Christ on some part of their Body."

http://www.monitorcenter.org/lifeaboard/

[PetePaolillo]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

I do realize that the great read " Corporal Si Klegg & His Pard" is a fictional book..but it was written by Veteran Wilbur Hinman of the 65th OVI and was made up of detailed stories of a soldiers life which were loosely based on his own experiences. There was an entertaining passage ( shown here) in the book regarding tattoos, which might shed some light on practice and subject matter of the times.

[Robby Stokes]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

I am curious as to what colors are documented and were available back then. I have seen references to red and black but what about others like blue or say green?

[sam H]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

man, i used to know the ansewer to that. i know they did a lot of mixing of inks to come up with different colors.

[Gallo de Cielo]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

There may be a need for a Grant Kirkwood tatoo. I think I read that Dan Wambaugh will be offering a bully buy on these.
Regards,

[PetePaolillo]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

There may be a need for a Grant Kirkwood tatoo. I think I read that Dan Wambaugh will be offering a bully buy on these.
Regards,

Maybe a brand would be more appropriate for him...lol

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

I keep forgetting to share with you all the ink I had done last year. Based on all the information provided by this thread, I went with the eagle and shield and had it done on my left left leg (both pretty generic icons and areas). The specific design came from an advertisement for Anderson, Delany & Company of the Tredegar Iron & Engine Works (my current place of work!) located in the Statistical Gazetteer of the State of Virginia (1854).

I've attached some images of both mine and the original document to this post. How's that for the ultimate crazyiness!

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

Found this reference in American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kauffman (p. 89):

"He was proud of that name [Booth], and had come to define himself as the son of of the great tragedian. Being an adolescent, he was especially keen to establish himself and his place in the world.. He would defend the family honor, follow his family profession, and adopt the family politics. As if to confirm his identity once and for all, he pricked his initials in permanent India ink onto the back of his hand."

[PetePaolillo]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

Found this reference in American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kauffman (p. 89):

Good find Jason. His sister also wrote about that tattoo in her memoirs. She referred to him as a little boy.

He had perfectly shaped hands, and across the back of one he had clumsily marked, when a little boy, his initials in India ink

http://books.google.com/books?id=k2c0X0VPxAIC&lpg=PA45&ots=wUvukmypRC&dq=He%20had%20perfectly%20shaped%20hands%2C%20and%20across%20the%20back%20of%20one%20he%20had%20clumsily%20marked%2C%20when%20a%20little%20boy%2C%20his%20initials%20in%20India%20ink&pg=PA45#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

Richmond Dispatch.
Saturday morning...Jan 24, 1863.
Deserters.

Camp near
January10, 1863,

Thirty Dollars Reward.--Deter or form company B, 16th, Va. regiment, on the 3d inst, Henry Adams a substitute for Wm M Reed; and on the night of the 8th inst., Wm. McKINREY, a substitute for John H Pear.

Henry Adams to 5 feet6 inches high, has hazel ayes, dark hair; and fair complexion; appears to have a slight in his speech. He was received as a substitute on the 1st inst, and deserted on the 3d.

Wm. McKincey is an Irishman, 5 feet 6 or 5 inches high, hazel eyes, dark hair, dark complexion, and has the appearance of having had the small pox; has a fear on his right breast from a boil, and scar on his right leg, about three inches below the knee, and a crucifix in india ink on the inside of his right fore arm.

The above reward will be given for the delivers of either, or their retention in some military prison so I get them.

Allen H. Lyon,

Capt Ct. B, 15th Va reg't.

[yeoman]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

Yazoo Democrat [Yazoo City, MS], April 16, 1859, p,4 c.1
Tattooing on Shipboard.--A correspondent of the New York Times, writes from the United States naval depot at Porto Praya, on the 26th of January:
Among the unconsidered trifles that float about the forecastle of a man-of-war, one cannot help observing the tattooed arms, limbs and bodies of the sailors. I saw a man stretched upon the deck, with his breast all bare, and a big fellow with no compunction, but with a great energy, scarifying the flesh with five needles tied together, with the points dipped in India ink, and each wound in the skin absorbing enough fluid to retain a mark for life. The figure was composed of the Goddess of Liberty, the stars and stripes, a ship, &c. Some have a taste for the melancholy, and mark the arms with a memento mor-i a tombstone and weeping willow; others for the villainous, and adopt the gallows, with a culprit pendant.
Some have double hearts and love arrows, and some enclose a wreath of roses the initials of a deserted yet hoped-for sweetheart. Then there is the patriotic taste, with the escutcheon of the Union, and a ship-of-war ready for a fight. It is estimated that at least four thousand persons in the United States Navy, annually, are tattooed, with figures costing from seventy five cents to fifteen dollars, and showing an annual expenditure in the aggregate of twenty thousand dollars. A single artist has been known to pocket over a thousand dollars in a cruise of a frigate in these senseless India ink prickings.

This may be found with this link.

Thanks to Vicki Betts for transcribing these old news papers.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: 19th Century Tattoos

You'll find two EXCELLENT 1870's (?) portraits of men showing off their tattoos at the links below. I also attached the images here. I am seeing a lot of really interesting ink on both men but particularly the first who appears to have "stippling" or whatever inked all over between the larger art. It also looks like low-quality ink was used as some of it appears darker while other images/stippling are nearly faded.

The second man has probably my favorite tattoo. Check out the little "stabbed in the heart" motif on his chest. But wait, it looks like the heart has scurried away just in time! His "medal" around his neck is pretty BA too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360400822040&category=409&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

http://www.ebay.com/itm/c1870-TATTOO-Covered-Sailor-Captain-Harry-Decoursey-EISENMANN-New-York-/260871667537?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item3cbd29bf51