#noacademicsneeded

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

This man was the barker/clerk with Tatts and Ralph at the arcade at 414 South State St. among other places. He was completely tattooed by both Tatts and Ralph and the pic in the lower right is him and Tatts as much younger men working on his back. This pic and many more items are available for viewing in the collection displayed @greatlakestattoo #greatlakestattoo #tattoohistorybytattooers #chicagotattoohistory #tattoohistoryhappensintattooshops #noacademicsneeded #chicagohistory #southstatestreet #tattsthomas #ralphjohnstone #thedevilsmile (at Great Lakes Tattoo) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxe74SxFdGk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1g6z30111xkfm

[greatlakestattoochicago]

@chicagostattoohistory ・・・ Tatts Thomas tattooing foreheads being assisted by Sailor Jerry from a Milwaukee Sentinel article. Thanks @jreiter22 #tattooersknowtattooing #tattoohistorybytattooers #realchicagotattoohistory #noacademicsneeded #goodtoknowthechickensaladfromthechickenshit (at Great Lakes Tattoo)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

Done by Tatts Thomas when he was in Kenosha with Greg May. After the law change in Chicago in 1963 Tatts made his way up to Milwaukee to work with Dietzel until tattooing was outlawed there. He made his way down to Kenosha with Greg May and was eventually headed back to Chicago to work with Cliff Raven at 900 Belmont. He never made it back down to work on Belmont and he passed June 1 1969. Look around there’s tattoo history all around you. #greatlakestattoo #tattoohistorybytattooers #chicagohistory #chicagotattoohistory #noacademicsneeded (at Great Lakes Tattoo)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

Phil Sparrow a Chicago icon. Phil is responsible introducing Cliff Raven to tattooing as well as working with Kinsey to compile information for the Kinsey Report. He wrote many books including Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos which chronicled tattoo life on South State St. in the 1950s #greatlakestattoo #chicagotattoohistory #chicagohistory #tattoohistorybytattooers #tattoohistory #noacademicsneeded (at Chicago History Museum)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

Sacred heart done by Ralph Johnstone late 50s in Chicago on South State Street. Tattoo history walks by you everyday! Check out more of Chicago’s tattoo history @chicagostattoohistory #greatlakestattoo #chicagotattoohistory #ralphjohnstone #tattoohistorybytattooers #noacademicsneeded (at Chicago History Museum)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

Phil Sparrow tattooing in Milwaukee on the last day of Anchor Tattoo. This photo was taken by Chuck Renslow. #greatlakestattoo #chicagostattoohistory #philsparrow #usnavysailor #noacademicsneeded (at Great Lakes Tattoo)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

I picked this up recently having never seen or heard of one before. Tattoo shops on State St where rarely a stand alone thing and ones with a specific name where unheard of. Most of the shops where in arcades or funhouses. This seems to be a guarantee form from Bill Moore’s Frisco Tattoo Shop located at 669 S State St It has a paper stencil attached or maybe a ditto machine copy of the tattoo design and a brand name for the inks that Moore used. Looks like it could be some kind of side hustle to legitimize that persons tattoo with a guarantee. If anyone knows anything about these forms I would love to hear about them #greatlakestattoo #chicagotattoohistory #chicagohistory #billmoore #southstatestreet #tattoohistorybytattooers #tattoohistoryhappensintattooshops #noacademicsneeded (at Chicago History Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2UA6REl9Wt/?igshid=1fbkfb2ml8v64

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

South State Street in a nutshell. The Pacific Garden Mission next door to the 666 Lounge and in the upper left the inside of a State St strip joint. You can read about all of these spots on Phil Sparrow’s Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos. #chicagotattoohistory #tattoohistory #tattoohistorybytattooers #chicagohistory #southloopchicago #noacademicsneeded (at Great Lakes Tattoo)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

A very young Cliff Raven with an early painting. #chicagotattoohistory #tattoohistorybytattooers #noacademicsneeded #cliffraven #chicago #greatlakestattoo (at Kaiserstadt Tattoo Expo Aachen)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

The bottom pic was sent to me by @quakerfolk of a gentleman at his church. This guy has a bunch of Tatts Thomas tattoos from the State St. arcades. I was able to match this Ralph Johnstone design with one that hangs in the walls of @greatlakestattoo #greatlakestattoo #chicagotattoohistory #chicagohistory #tattoohistory #thewallshaveitall #tattoohistorybytattooers #tattoohistoryhappensintattooshops #noacademicsneeded (at Great Lakes Tattoo) https://www.instagram.com/p/By7rbDGli85/?igshid=1743w2jnwlitc

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

Here’s three from S. State St. from 1960. These are amazing!!! Thanks to @theofficialbobjones for getting pics of his dads tattoos. This is what it’s all about documenting this type of tattoo history!!!!! Ask your parents ask your grand parents. Take the photos hear the stories. #greatlakestattoo #tattoohistorybytattooers #noacademicsneeded #chicagotattoohistory #tattoohistoryhappensintattooshops (at Chicago History Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByFvIhgF1f6/?igshid=1opjve430tq4f

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

A very young Cliff Raven showing off some new tattoo designs. #greatlakestattoo #chicagostattoohistory #cliffraven #noacademicsneeded #tattoohistorybytattooers (at Great Lakes Tattoo)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

An excerpt from a Cliff Raven photo album where he documented his trip to Hawaii to visit Sailor Jerry. As cool as all that flash was in the walls of Jerry’s shop you still had people who would bring in their own reference. This just happened to be one that Cliff drew. #greatlakestattoo #chicagotattoohistory #sailorjerry #tattoohistorybytattooers #tattoohistoryhappensintattooshops #noacademicsneeded (at Chicago History Museum) https://www.instagram.com/chicagostattoohistory/p/BxPfex3l4Mh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jmwpkl9ra3mb

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

A shot from the display case what you have here are 5 of Tatts Thomas personal machines surrounding the middle Jonesy style personal machine of Ralph Johnstone. This is Chicago Tattoo History! I can only imagine how many tattoos where done by these machines. These machines are on display along with countless other pieces of flash and tattoo history from Chicago’s South State Street Arcades. Stop by and check it out!!!! I am always on the lookout for more Chicago Tattoo History DM me if you would like to@talk. #greatlakestattoo #tattoohistory #chicagotattoohistory #chicagohistory #tattoomachines #tattoohistoryhappensintattooshops #noacademicsneeded #tattsthomas #ralphjohnstone (at Great Lakes Tattoo) https://www.instagram.com/chicagostattoohistory/p/BwdEGRsFEpJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=nrqn0xdp7qp7

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

From the walls of @greatlakestattoo Tatts Thomas Chicago style. #greatlakestattoo #chicagotattoohistory #noacademicsneeded #tattoohistorybytattooers #nowhitegloves #nothingishidden (at Chicago, Illinois)

[chicagosfavoritetattooer]

Here’s a pic of #cliffraven with a finished back done on Danny Thome a couple years after he moved out west. #greatlakestattoo #chicagotattoohistory #tattoohistory #tattoohistorybytattooers #tattoohistoryhappensintattooshops #noacademicsneeded (at Great Lakes Tattoo) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtoIdxsFtOL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1leq50ah3xbyx