French swimmer Frederick Bousquet
Here's to You, Joe DiMaggio...
Living in New York City, a metropolis known for its die-hard sports fans, it is not unusual to see tattoos honoring and celebrating the rich athletic tradition that exists here.
On Friday, during my lunch hour, I spotted a New York City Fire Department truck parked at the corner of 40th Street and 7th Avenue. Standing along side it was Johnny, one of New York's bravest, enjoying the warm weather, in shorts, and baring this incredible leg tattoo:
This is, of course, Marilyn Monroe, but with a twist. She is sporting the New York Yankees jersey of one of the franchise's greatest players, Joe DiMaggio, to whom she was married for less than a year.
Johnny is a huge Yankee fan, and also loves Marilyn Monroe, one of the iconic figures of the 20th century, and among the most popular celebrities tattooed. I have featured Marilyn tattoos previously here and here.
The image is based on a lithograph that Johnny purchased at a FanFest in 1996. After having it tattooed on his right calf, he felt something was missing.
He contacted the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, and purchased an archival photograph of the original Yankee Stadium, circa 1923. This was then used as the source material to create the recognizable backdrop for Marilyn.
Johnny has a ton of tattoos, approximately 15 pieces in all. This one, along with others he has, was created by Cort Bengston at Cort's Royal Ink Tattoo Studio in Patchogue, New York.
Thanks to Johnny for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Stephen's Tailored Tribute to His Father
I met Stephen while walking through Herald Square on an unseasonably warm Friday afternoon.
He had his sleeves rolled up and I noticed the set of circles on the outside of his right forearm. He was more than happy to share the story behind them.
Stephen was raised in New Jersey and he remembers his father commuting daily into Manhattan, where he was a Vice President at AT & T. His father was extremely dapper, and always wore a "crisp" suit to work, dressing impeccably for the job.
He vividly recalls his father taking him for his first suit, and how his father imparted all of his knowledge onto Stephen; how the suit was the uniform of a true gentleman, and all about the cut, the style, the fabric, etc.
When Stephen decided to get his first tattoo, he wanted to pay tribute to his father and wanted something above and beyond a normal tribute tattoo.
With a tip of the hat to nostalgia, and the acknowledgment that his father's influence guided him toward a career in the fashion industry, Stephen had the circles tattooed on both outer forearms:
Seen together, and knowing his background, it is all the more apparent that Stephen has tattoos representing two sets of buttons on the suit sleeves of childhood memories.
When I asked him what his father thought when he saw this tribute, he replied, "He wasn't super pumped about it, but it grew on him. The first thing he said after I explained it to him was, 'Couldn't you've just gotten DAD tattooed...?' ."
Stephen now has 10 tattoos, most of which were inked at Electric Lotus Tattoo and Piercing in Boonton, New Jersey. His friend Don Perdue was the artist responsible for these honorary buttons.
Thanks to Stephen for sharing these cool tattoos honoring his father!
Footprints Over the Heart: Anthony Celebrates the Continuing Tradition of a Name
Mary-Lee appeared in my doorway at the end of the work day with Anthony standing next to her.
Mary-Lee's tattoo was featured here in December. I had never met Anthony before, but Mary-Lee had mentioned his tattoo to me, and she had told him about Tattoosday. He works for one of the vendors our company utilizes for a mailing process.
Anthony, whose birth name is Antonio, is a second generation Italian-American, and the son of Antonio, Sr. He is 100% Sicilian, and last year, on July 29, experienced the joy of having a first child, a son, also named Antonio.
Antonio III.
Aside from memorial tattoos, ink honoring one's offspring is equal to, or possibly greater, in popularity. As a parent myself, I'm partial to tattoos that pay tribute to one's kids. Both of my tattoos were inked in honor of my daughters, so parental tattoos have a special place in my heart.
To so honor little Anthony III, Anthony Jr. inked his son's birth name over his heart and, just below it, had his baby footprints added.
He wears with honor the legacy of his father's name, and bears the mark of tradition, as it carries from generation to generation.
A closer look also shows that the footprints are done lighter than the print of the name, which I think is a nice effect:
A footprint isn't generally a "permanent" fixture, and fades with time. Although the tattoo is permanent, the lighter ink lends more authenticity to the temporary nature of this snapshot in little Anthony's first moments in the world. It captures the moment of his birth, a pinnacle of joy in every father's life.
For a comparison, and I pass no judgment here, check out this earlier footprint post. There's a stark difference in the two tattoos, and I will say that this example is a nicer representation of the style of tattoo.
This is Anthony's third tattoo, but clearly the most important one. He had this inked at Tattoo Lou's in Selden, New York. Work from one of Tattoo Lou's other locations has appeared previously here.
Thanks to Anthony for sharing his meaningful tribute to his son, and his family tradition, here on Tattoosday!
On the Bookshelves: A Late February Update
Despite some miraculous google algorithm that has doubled my traffic in the last week, regular readers may have noticed we have been light on content, in this shortest of the winter months.
And so it goes. I can only blog about what I see (generally speaking), and the ink has been a-hidin'.
But fret not, a calendar informed me that Spring is less than a month away, and April (just you wait) will have these pages overflowing with a cross-blog project that will certainly entertain and educate.
So, in the mean time, I've spotted the following titles on my local Borders bookshelves:
Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art by Carol Clerk.
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And this one has nothing to do with tattooing, per se, but it still looks cool:
And so it goes. I can only blog about what I see (generally speaking), and the ink has been a-hidin'.
But fret not, a calendar informed me that Spring is less than a month away, and April (just you wait) will have these pages overflowing with a cross-blog project that will certainly entertain and educate.
So, in the mean time, I've spotted the following titles on my local Borders bookshelves:
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Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art by Carol Clerk.
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting a Tattoo by John Reardon.
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And this one has nothing to do with tattooing, per se, but it still looks cool:
Tattoorism: A Sparrow Drops in from North of the Border
February is the Dead of Winter, and after the 60-degree day from last Wednesday, I have seen very few blogworthy tattoos in the Big Apple.
Fear not, dear readers, warmer weather is around the corner. I can feel it. So, in the mean time, I am relying on the kindness of readers.
Behold, Jenna's bird:
Jenna wrote: "I just stumbled across your blog one day and I'm always up for sharing my favourite tat! Here's a picture right after it was finished... only picture I've got :( Looks much nicer now that it's finally healed!".
Fresh ink isn't always the prettiest, but we here at Tattoosday like the occasional unsolicited submission, especially when we've been in such significant ink withdrawal.
That was all she wrote, however, so I asked Jenna for some more info on this avian neck tattoo.
Jenna hails from Toronto, and had this inked by Phil at Adrenaline Tattoo there.
She explains the meaning behind this piece:
Fear not, dear readers, warmer weather is around the corner. I can feel it. So, in the mean time, I am relying on the kindness of readers.
Behold, Jenna's bird:
Jenna wrote: "I just stumbled across your blog one day and I'm always up for sharing my favourite tat! Here's a picture right after it was finished... only picture I've got :( Looks much nicer now that it's finally healed!".
Fresh ink isn't always the prettiest, but we here at Tattoosday like the occasional unsolicited submission, especially when we've been in such significant ink withdrawal.
That was all she wrote, however, so I asked Jenna for some more info on this avian neck tattoo.
Jenna hails from Toronto, and had this inked by Phil at Adrenaline Tattoo there.
She explains the meaning behind this piece:
Thanks to Jenna for sharing this emotional piece with us. We'll update the post with a cleaner, fresher photo when she gets one for us.
"...My best friend passed away from cancer in December 2007, and I was really, really torn up about it. When my friend, Corey (who was only 17) was alive, he would see a psychic and never shared any information with her. One day out of the blue last year, the psychic called Corey's family and spoke to his sister. All the psychic said was 'Do you have a friend named Jenna?' and the sister said 'Yes, she was really close to Corey as well". After speaking for a little while, the psychic declared that Corey wanted me to know that he is always going to be there for me and if I feel anything warm on the back of my neck, that's him guiding me in the right way... So, that's why this beautiful bird is on the back of my neck. For Corey."
Skull And Snake Tattoo Designs in the Woman Body
Women are very beautiful and kind-hearted, she is just like that creepy tattoo design. Skull and Snake tattoo design that is very distasteful.
Squid Tattoo Designs in the Beauty Girl Body
Squid tattoo design with a combination of ink colors are beautiful, very fit on this young girl body.
Animal Foot Print Tattoo Designs
Animal foot print tattoo art designs in the back body of macho man.
Full Back Tattoo of Skulls and Stained Glass
skulls tattoo Mirek vel Stotker, originally uploaded by stotker.A very original full back tattoo of multiple skulls framing stained glass windows. Additional tattoos cover arms elbow and kneck.
Happy Valentine's from Tattoosday!
Lacking any new material for this holiday o' love, I'm re-posting an old favorite that seems to be in the theme. Well, at least there's a heart in it.
I just love the way, in this photo, that Cait's hand is positioned as she is pulling her blouse back to reveal the whole tattoo...
Here's hoping the day is everything you expect it to be!
I just love the way, in this photo, that Cait's hand is positioned as she is pulling her blouse back to reveal the whole tattoo...
"I asked her if she'd be willing to share, and she did. She peeled back a little of her top to reveal this beautiful piece on the top left side of her chest:The original post is here.
Cait and her friend Michelle have birthdays two days apart. When they turned 18, they took a design that Michelle had crafted to Da Vinci Tattoo Studio in Wantagh, New York. The artist she remembered as "Yoshi" inked matching pieces for the two.
Cait says the heart that encases the colorful stars represents their friendship, and serves to remind them of the bond. In the event that life ever separates them, the tattoos will link them, no matter where they are.
Work from Da Vinci Tattoo Studio has appeared on Tattoosday before here.
Thanks to Cait for sharing her ink with us here at Tattoosday!
Here's hoping the day is everything you expect it to be!
Teen Girl Model with Red Line Artistic Tattoo Paint Designs
Tattoo paint design for a girl model with red artistic lines. Girls with tattoo paint is a model for the photography competition.
Natural Red Flower Tattoo Design
Natural Flower tattoo design on a art background tattoo with black ink, very excellent and contrast.
Black Ink Symbolism Tattoo Designs
Young girls are beautiful has designed tattoo on her body with black ink symbols.
Lizz's Tattoo Anchors Her to Her Brother
One of the things that I love most about writing Tattoosday is the way New York City plays a significant role in the narrative. It may not be a blog about New York, but it would be a much different one without this city I call my home.
This is one of those posts that is tied to the fabric of New York.
This evening, I was taking advantage of a free ticket to see a revival of Guys and Dolls at the Nederlander Theater, which is still in preview and opens March 1st.
I was standing in line outside, about twenty minutes before curtains. The theater, on the south side of West 41st Street, faces the back of the New Amsterdam Theater to the north.
There were assorted people milling about across the street, folks I assumed were crew from Mary Poppins, outside having their last cigarettes before their show started.
I spotted a woman who had exited the theater and saw, from across the street, that she had a tattoo on her right forearm. I was doing nothing but standing in line anyway, so I crossed over 41st Street to say hello.
Lizz, who works as a dresser, was more than happy to share her tattoo:
What's remarkable about this traditional-style anchor tattoo is that she had it done at the same time, on the same spot, and with the same design as her younger brother.
For Lizz, this was her most recent, her nineteenth tattoo. For her brother, five years her junior, it was his first.
The piece is based on the state flag of Rhode Island, where Lizz grew up:
Tattoos in general have significant meaning for their bearers. When the same design in shared, and the act of being tattooed is similarly experienced, the emotional charge instilled in the work is compounded.
Another example of siblings sharing a tattoo can be seen here.
Lizz told me that she doesn't rely on one artist, but that her ink has come from different shops all over the country.
This tattoo was created at Cherry Bomb Tattoo (now known as East River Tattoo)in Brooklyn by the artist Duke Riley. Work from Cherry Bomb has appeared here previously.
Thanks so much to Lizz for sharing her ink with us here on Tattoosday!
This is one of those posts that is tied to the fabric of New York.
This evening, I was taking advantage of a free ticket to see a revival of Guys and Dolls at the Nederlander Theater, which is still in preview and opens March 1st.
I was standing in line outside, about twenty minutes before curtains. The theater, on the south side of West 41st Street, faces the back of the New Amsterdam Theater to the north.
There were assorted people milling about across the street, folks I assumed were crew from Mary Poppins, outside having their last cigarettes before their show started.
I spotted a woman who had exited the theater and saw, from across the street, that she had a tattoo on her right forearm. I was doing nothing but standing in line anyway, so I crossed over 41st Street to say hello.
Lizz, who works as a dresser, was more than happy to share her tattoo:
What's remarkable about this traditional-style anchor tattoo is that she had it done at the same time, on the same spot, and with the same design as her younger brother.
For Lizz, this was her most recent, her nineteenth tattoo. For her brother, five years her junior, it was his first.
The piece is based on the state flag of Rhode Island, where Lizz grew up:
Tattoos in general have significant meaning for their bearers. When the same design in shared, and the act of being tattooed is similarly experienced, the emotional charge instilled in the work is compounded.
Another example of siblings sharing a tattoo can be seen here.
Lizz told me that she doesn't rely on one artist, but that her ink has come from different shops all over the country.
This tattoo was created at Cherry Bomb Tattoo (now known as East River Tattoo)in Brooklyn by the artist Duke Riley. Work from Cherry Bomb has appeared here previously.
Thanks so much to Lizz for sharing her ink with us here on Tattoosday!
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