Collection of drawings made by Tattoo great Lew Alberts in mid 1940s.

The original creator of tattoo "flash" was largely unknown. Now a private collection of works by this Jewish tattooer from New York, "Lew the Jew" Alberts, has come to light. Around 1905 he was the first to make these design sheets commercially available, as well as developing the electric tattoo machine. His previously unpublished and rare original tattoo artwork is being published as a tattoo flash collection for the first time. Albert Kurzman (1880-1954) aka Lew the Jew was one of America s most influential tattoo artists at the beginning of the 20th century. Operating primarily on New York s Bowery, Lew constructed some of the earliest electric tattoo machines, and was the first to design and market printed design sheets to other tattooers. His artwork in these flash displays codified the repertoire of American tattooing, and many are still in use today. This first book to document this amazing man presents over 150 drawings. Included in these is correspondence between Al and two of his closest confidants, San Francisco Bay Area tattooers Brooklyn Joe Lieber and C.J. Pop Eddy. These candid fragments provide a vivid sense of a hardboiled, secretive world. Additional business cards, vintage tattoo photographs, and previously unknown biographical data illuminate the then-shadowy business of skin art. This material laid the ground for the avalanche of tattooing that permeates the world today.

A book of vintage tattoo flash made by the tattoo supply company of tattooer Percy Waters.

"Once associated with gang members, criminals, and sailors, tattoos are now mainstream. An estimated twenty percent of all adults have at east one, and women are increasingly getting tattoos and are now more likely than men to have one. But many of the tattoos that women get are gender-appropriate: they are cute, small, and can be easily hidden. A small dolphin on the ankle, a black line on the lower back, a flower on the hip, and a child's name on the shoulder blade are among the popular choices. But what about women who are heavily tattooed? Why would a woman get "sleeves"? And why do some collect larger-scale tattoos on publicly visible skin, of imagery not typically considered feminine or cute, like skulls, zombies, snakes, or dragons? Drawing on five years of ethnographic research and interviews with more than seventy heavily tattoed women, 'Covered in Ink' provides insight into the increasingly visible subculture of tattoed women. Author Beverly Yuen Thompson spent time in tattoo parlors and at tattoo conventions in order to further understand women's love of ink and their imagery choices as well as their struggle with gender norms, employment discrimination, and family rejection. Still, many of these women feel empowered by their tattoes and believe they are creating a space for self-expression that also presents a positive body image. 'Covered in Ink' investigates this complicated subculture and finds out the many meanings of the love of ink"--Page 4 of cover.

Brooklyn Joe Lieber (1888-1953) was a mentor for Sailor Jerry Collins. Though born in Brooklyn, Lieber moved to the S.F. Bay area and spent most of his career there. Sharing a powerful near-identical drawing and painting style, he and Collins originated and traded hundreds of designs. This book features Lieber's brilliant and influential flash and drawings, equal in scope to those of Sailor Jerry.

This pioneering 1933 survey approaches body art from a variety of angles, including artistic, semiotic, psychological, sociological, and cultural perspectives. One of the first studies to analyze the subconscious motivations and erotic implications behind tattooing, it examines overt and subliminal messages of romance, patriotism, and religious fervor. 27 illustrations.

Legends is a compilation of vintage tattoo flash and photos of some of tattoo's legendary artists. It includes work by Sailor Jerry, Mike Malone, Cap Coleman, Bert Grimm, Bob Shaw and many others.