A new museum is opening in North Chicago featuring art and memorabilia of Americana tattoo culture -- dating as far back as 1838 -- from the personal collection of retired tattooist John "Pops" Henderson, owner of Modern Tattoo.
To promote tattooing as a fine art with a long rich history, Pops hired art historian Christine Galvez as the museum curator and is working with Chuck Eldridge of the Tattoo Archive in North Carolina to further his collection, which includes some of the earliest tattoo machines, flash and stencils from the early part of the century.
The museum opens at 11am, Sunday, July 12th but Pops says he'll also offer private, after-hours tours to school groups.
Here are some already established tattoo museums and collections across the US:
* As mentioned, the Tattoo Archive is one of the richest collections, online and off, with Chuck being its greatest resource.
* Triangle Tattoo & Museum, housed in an classic Victorian storefront in downtown Ft. Bragg, CA, has been presenting tattoo artifacts to the public since 1986, and like Chuck, owners/tattooists Mr.G. and Madame Chinchilla remain the best attraction with decades of tattoo tales to share.
* The Baltimore Tattoo Museum, not only houses top tattooists, but also an extensive collection of old school flash, photos and machines and tattoo tools, beautifully presented. See photos of their collection here.
* The Vanishing Tattoo's Virtual Tattoo Museum allows you to learn about tattoo, from the ancient to the modern, without even leaving your laptop.
To promote tattooing as a fine art with a long rich history, Pops hired art historian Christine Galvez as the museum curator and is working with Chuck Eldridge of the Tattoo Archive in North Carolina to further his collection, which includes some of the earliest tattoo machines, flash and stencils from the early part of the century.
The museum opens at 11am, Sunday, July 12th but Pops says he'll also offer private, after-hours tours to school groups.
Here are some already established tattoo museums and collections across the US:
* As mentioned, the Tattoo Archive is one of the richest collections, online and off, with Chuck being its greatest resource.
* Triangle Tattoo & Museum, housed in an classic Victorian storefront in downtown Ft. Bragg, CA, has been presenting tattoo artifacts to the public since 1986, and like Chuck, owners/tattooists Mr.G. and Madame Chinchilla remain the best attraction with decades of tattoo tales to share.
* The Baltimore Tattoo Museum, not only houses top tattooists, but also an extensive collection of old school flash, photos and machines and tattoo tools, beautifully presented. See photos of their collection here.
* The Vanishing Tattoo's Virtual Tattoo Museum allows you to learn about tattoo, from the ancient to the modern, without even leaving your laptop.
