Vintage Tattoos - The Book of Old-School Skin Art

Author(s): Carol Clerk

Social Sciences

Tattoos have gone from badges of rebellion to fashion statements fully absorbed into mainstream culture. They are enjoying a renaissance, with graphic designers and artists creating specialty tattoos for a growing audience, unleashing a revival of interest in the bawdy vintage tattoo. Old school tattoos are being rediscovered (sometimes ironically, sometimes not) by a new generation. Originally embraced by rebels, sailors, and gangsters, these tattoos--broken hearts, naked girls, floral motifs, and maritime emblems--are now showing up on the fashion runway and in music videos. This book chronicles vintage motifs in thematic chapters interspersed with profiles of influential tattoo artists and their distinctive designs: Sailor Jerry Collins, Don Ed Hardy ("the Godfather of Tattoos"), Mike "Rollo Banks" Malone, Bert Grimm, Japan's Horiyoshi III, and Shanghai's Pinky Yun.


Product Information

“It seems like everyone and their mother has been inked. Carol Clerk’s new tome, "Vintage Tattoos, The Book of Old-School Skin Art," tracks the evolution of old-school pin-up girl pieces…as well as classic floral, nautical, death memorials and heart designs.” "Nylon Magazine
"“We’ve read our fill about tattooed circus acts and indigenous people, but we’ll always make time for the scalawags who revolutionized tattoo art. The best chapters in Carol Clerk’s "Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art" detail the history of nautical and patriotic tattoos and their superstitions.”" Inked Magazine
""The lavishly displayed wealth of brightly colored old-school flash is the heart of "Vintage Tattoos," and the main reason you’ll find yourself flipping through it again and again. (Clerk's) ruminations on these designs and their cryptic meanings are enlightening." Playboy.com"
"Vintage Tattoos" is as much

General Fields

  • : 9780789318244
  • : Universe Publishing
  • : Universe Publishing Inc.,U.S.
  • : 0.689
  • : 31 January 2009
  • : 209mm X 212mm X 16mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Carol Clerk
  • : Paperback / softback
  • : 2009
  • : English
  • : 391.65
  • : 255
  • : illustrations