Wortham’s Shows Web of Tattooed Attractions By Carmen Nyssen During the 1910s and early 1920s, Clarence Augustin Wortham’s “wonderful ability and tireless efforts” took him to the top of the carnival circuit, earning him a multi-show enterprise, complete with a […]
Prof. Jacob Londella: Tattooer of San Francisco’s Old Chinatown Researched & Written by Carmen Nyssen At the turn of the century in San Francisco’s old Chinatown (c. 1899-1906), a visitor seeking the thrill of a tattoo wouldn’t have to look […]
Pacific Northwest Tattooers: Oregon Ben & Friends Researched & Written by Carmen Nyssen The Pacific Northwest was home to an interesting line-up of tattoo characters throughout history, and tattooed man-tattooer, “Oregon Ben,” ranks among them. Although little detail is known about Oregon Ben’s career, […]
Portland, Oregon’s Early Tattoo Traditions Researched & Written by Carmen Nyssen As with many a tattoo hub throughout history, Portland Oregon’s tattooing traditions hearken back to the city’s seafaring foundations—pioneered by expert navigator and merchant speculator, Captain John H. Couch. […]
Tattoo Magic on Main Street Original Research/Writing by Carmen Forquer Nyssen Los Angeles’ Main Street was homebase to an A-list of tattooers in the early part of the 20th Century. Within a several block stretch, the talented bunch—including Bert Grimm, […]
Tattoos: Magical Iterations of the Past By Carmen Forquer Nyssen Tattoos are magical iterations of the past in that the process of making a tattoo holds their very history: That first mark hearkens back to an ancient moment in time […]
Oral History Tattoo Mystery: The Brothers Kamarit Written & Researched by Carmen Forquer Nyssen Since the day Carmen obtained her copy of Lyle Tuttle’s Tattoo Historian No. 1, in 2012, and read Bert Grimm’s oral history recollections in Barrs Noble’s […]
Tattoo History Feature Articles
Tattoo History General
Tattoo Artist Bios
Birth of the Tattoo Trade: New York Bowery Researched & Written by Carmen Forquer Nyssen The tale of how tattooing emerged as a bona fide trade in America is a fascinating account, set in the backdrop of old New York […]
Journey Through Tattoo History Researched & Written by Carmen Forquer Nyssen Buzzworthy Tattoo History is focused on accurately documenting the stories of late nineteenth and early twentieth century tattoo artists—their tattoo journey through time. The late nineteenth century was a […]
Buzzworthy Tattoo History: Illuminating Tattooing’s Past Welcome! Buzzworthy Tattoo History features hard-earned, well-researched, original tattoo history, as well as, updates on relevant tattoo news, events, and projects, by Tattoo Historian Carmen Forquer Nyssen. See Tattoo Projects page for my otherwise […]
