The first American tattoo studio opened in New York in 1870; the invention of the first electric tattooing machine in 1891 significantly reduced the inflicted pain, skill, and time it took to execute a tattoo. By 1900 every major American city had a tattoo parlor, and the ubiquitous images of hearts, eagles, snakes, God, and country were on their way to becoming Americana. Known in the trade as “flash,” these are the images that are displayed on the walls of tattoo establishments, and many still in use today were originally drawn by Lew Albert, an early New York tattoo artist who played a significant role in shaping the look of standard-issue American tattoo.
Another prodigious talent was Charles Wagner, who tattooed tens of thousands at his New York studio from the Spanish American War until the mid-1950s. The first to cosmetically tattoo women’s lips, cheeks, and eyebrows, Wagner tattooed socialites and Bowery folk alike—and completed more than 50 full body tattoos for circus......
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