Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo

210 Notes to Chapter 2
of negative public identification and punishment (Richie and Buruma,
1980: 12–13). Similarly, in the nineteenth century, inmates of the
Massachusetts prison system had “Mass S. P.” and the date of their
release tattooed on their left arms (Ebensten, 1953: 20). More recently,
the Nazis tattooed identification numbers on the arms of concentration
camp inmates. In April of 1986 conservative columnist William Buckley
suggested that victims of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
be tattooed on the buttocks in order to limit the spread of the disease
among homosexuals (The Hartford Courant, April 19,1986, p. C6).
11. The literature directed at the fan world surrounding tattooing consistently
makes reference to the “tattoo community.” For example:
The choice of the artist and the image are of paramount
importance. The collector is not only making a statement about
himself, but is also visually displaying the art of tattooing. The
collector has an obligation that goes far beyond commitment to
oneself. The tattoo community as a whole is dependent on the
critical abilities of those who look upon tattooing as a serious art
form. . . . Like any other area of the arts that has a large following,
tattooing creates for both the artist and the patron a culture that is
familiar and appreciated. The tattooing community has a close bond
between the artist and the collector, a bond much closer than in
most artistic communities because of the intimate nature of a
tattoo. Everyone who is part of the community shares in the
responsibilities involved in keeping the art form alive and
responsive (Brachfeld, 1982: 24–25).
Chapter 3
1. Prior to entering tattooing interviewees had been truck drivers, car
salesmen, automobile or motorcycle mechanics, construction workers,
hospital attendants.
2. All but three of the interviewees reported that the idea of pursuing
the occupation of tattooing was initiated while being personally tattooed.
3. Eleven (79 percent) of the fourteen interviewed tattooists reported
that they had acquired their first tattoo machine from another artist. Five
of the eleven purchased equipment from the tattooist who was doing their
own work.
4. See Zeis, 1984 [1952]; Lemes, 1978.
5. Dr. Andrew Lemes (1978) reports that his life was threatened when
word got out that he intended to publish “tattoo trade secrets.” This
market-limiting secrecy within the tattoo world also has obvious implications
for the researcher. In the early stages of my fieldwork tattooists were
rather overt about expressing their suspicions that I might be interested
in acquiring “secret information.”