Tattoo Photograph Collection

The Providence Public Library’s Tattoo Photograph Collection incorporates materials from various acquisitions and purchases related to the art, history, and culture of tattooing, as well as materials on the tattoo industry. The Tattoo Photograph Collection includes images of tattooed individuals from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the individuals featured in this collection were themselves tattoo artists or sideshow performers, and it was common to create photographs like this for use in marketing and promotion or as calling cards. A number of well-known performers of the era can be found here, such Lillian Marco, who traveled throughout the country, and Emma Schuster, known as “La Bella Angora,” a famous European traveling performer from Germany. Also featured is Lady Lenora Platt, one of the earliest known women tattoo artists in the country, who began her craft prior to 1912 and traveled with carnivals throughout her career. A more common scenario at the time would be for a “tattooed lady” to have been inked by her husband, as a sort of living example of the quality of his work. Circuses also enjoyed the novelty of promoting a tattooed couple. Artoria Gibbons, who performed with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus shows, was tattooed by her husband Charles “Red” Gibbons. The same is true of Stella and Samuel Grassman, better known by their stage names “Stella & Deafy.” The Collection also showcases the work of some famous early 20th century tattooists, such as Mose Smith of Chicago, Joe Clingan of Toledo, Amund Dietzel of Milwaukee.