Tattoo Artists Cliff Raven And Sailor Sid Diller 1970s Or 80s... #tattoo #tattooing #cliffraven #sailorsid #tattooartists #1970s #1980s

Lyle Tuttle, traditional Samoan tattooing, 1970s. Photo by Robin Ryan sacreddebbris.com

www.blurb.com/books/125078... In August I gave a lecture on the under-documented influence of queer tattoo artists & collectors in modern (1950s-1980s) tattooing. This book covers the introduction & tattooer/pornographer JD of TRASH fame. It's 25% off thru Dec 11th with code GIVINGTUES25

Underground queer tattoo shop, 1970s. The artist was likely Ken Meyer (also seen spelled Meyers) and the client Bobby Mack. Filmed by Sailor Sid Diller. sacreddebris.com

Made a new flash painting. I’d love to tattoo any of these 😍 #bayareatattoo #tattoo #flash #halloween #skulls

Larry Copeland hosted a gathering of tattoo and piercing fans at his Hoboken, NJ residence in 1974/5. In attendance was Emil Gundelach who continued getting tattooed into his 90s, Tatu Scotty, Spider Webb, Dave Slack, Mary, and Ken Meyer (among other unnamed friends)

Dave Slack was a queer tattoo artist who worked in NYC in the 1970s/80s. He appeared in the legendary gay xxx video "NYC INFERNO" (playing a tattoo artist). This clip, recorded in approx 1974/5, also features Emil Gundelach, Larry Copeland, Key Meyer, and Spider Webb. sacreddebris.com

Real American Patriot Betty Boop at your service 🫡 #bettyboop #traditionaltattoos

This is the length (heh) I go to to not get banned on Instagram again. Leg tattoos by Raven sacreddebris.com

Underground queer tattoo shop, 1975. Ken Meyer (Florida) working on a homoerotic back tattoo. Screenshot from video. sacreddebris.com

On Aug 16th, I gave the first in a series of lectures on the under documented history of Queer Tattooing. We covered a basic primer on some of the early (1960s-80s) queer tat pioneers, then dug into cruising culture documentarian/tattooer John Dagion. This book serves as a lecture companion...

The finished tattoo.

Robert E. Roberts - Maddog Tattoo - 1990s. Slide building is going well on the Indelible Identities lecture on Queer Tattoo History.

Chicago Tattooist Cliff Raven And A Client 1972...Adults Only Photo Of Cliff And A Client... #tattoo #tattooed #tattooing #cliffraven #tattooartist #adultsonly #nsfw

Pleased as punch to be invited back to Berlin by the fine folks at BMXNet!

Proof copy of our lecture guide arrived with a friend. PFIQ ceased publication with issue 50 but there was one last issue cued up. Jim Ward was finally able to complete the run. So exciting.

Our friend @savagesal.bsky.social was kind enough to reimagine a Cliff Raven design to add a little razzle dazzle to my latest book - a visual companion to the lecture I’ll be giving on #queertattoo history in less than a month!

Along with Ed Hardy & Don Nolan, Cliff Raven was one of a handful of Western artists responsible for popularizing Japanese influenced large scale tattooing to America. He was also an out gay man. Screenshot from 50+ year old video at an underground queer tattoo shop. Sacreddebris.com

I feel like a one-trick pony lately. All of my archival energy is going towards the first lecture in the Indelible Identities series. This page is from the introduction essay on the history of Queer tattooing- the final image is from NYC's TRON - part of the future of queer representation in tattoo.

Just finished writing a footnote explaining to my readers what a "truck hawk" is. Is it worth going into glory hole etiquette or is that gilding the lily? I dont think the other tattoo historians have to make these choices, y'all.

1981 REAL PEOPLE episode excerpt. I for one think that tattoos + perversion is a rad combo. Full video is on our Patreon: Sacreddebris.com

Fired up the VCR today for some conversion. This cassette is likely from 1981 and features Bill Mokry. Sacreddebris.com

Watching a 40+ year old tattoo documentary shot by Emiko Omori, featuring Don Ed Hardy. The VHS degradation is terrible (Im converting it to digital) but I'll always sit and listen when Ed is talking.

My new convention banner came in! I’ll be in Eau Claire, Wisconsin June 13-15 for the Sawdust City Tattoo convention! [email protected] to book an appointment 😊📆#eauclaire #sawdustcityinvitational #savagesal #manther

Little rough teaser - still working on dropping some text in it any trying to work Cliff Raven in somehow- for my August lecture on queer tattooing history. Sacreddebris.com

Capturing 50 year old tattoo video…

Still tweaking an essay for the Indelible Identities lecture companion book. I’m not a good writer, by any means, but I do what I can. #queertattoo history!

John Dagion's semi-autobiographical smut zine, TRASH, collected his sexual escapades alongside the lascivious tales of his readers, personal stories, erotic art, & personal ads. It's essential documentation of the life of an underrepresented part of modern tattoo culture. sacreddebris.com

It’s impossible to overstate the impact that Samuel Steward had on modern tattooing. Tattooing professionally under the name Phil Sparrow, he was a primary mentor to Ed Hardy & Cliff Raven. The intersection of tattoo culture and the queer community is inseparable. sacreddebris.com #queertattoo

The infamous Spider Webb tattooing in Mt Vernon, NY, 1974 #tattoo #tattoohistory

Dennis Avner (Stalking Cat) and Bob Shaw, 1980s. There was a time where facial tattooing was banned at most tattoo conventions; exceptions were made. #tattoo #tattoohistory #bobshaw

Another 35mm negative scan from photographer Robin Ryan; Houston 1976. Peter Polous (left) and Dale Grande and friend. #tattoo #traditionaltattoo #occultvibrations #35mm sacreddebris.com

Val Watson at the 1976 Houston Tattoo Convention. Val is the subject of a recent zine from tattoo historian/tattooer Sharky Pitts- thought to be the first professional female African American tattoo artist, Val was a fixture at early tattoo convention. This photo is by Robin Ryan, scanned from 35mm

You can never go wrong picking off the wall❤️

Can't remember when I photographed this piece or who it was on. Getting old is fun. Paul Rogers, 1988.

When the subject of LGBTQ+ tattooers comes up, I’m usually greeted with calls of “Cliff Raven was amazing!” - and so he was. But there were a lot of trailblazers, folks who never rose to the level of acclaim Cliff received, whose stories need to be told. I look forward to adding to the series.

Photographed this gent at the Mad Hatters Tea Party- late 1980s. At the time, some tattoo conventions wouldn’t allow guests with facial tattooing.

(Not from our Archives) Filmmaker Werner Herzog showing off his Ed Hardy tattoo.

Tattoo Flash By Tattoo Artist Stoney St. Clair Year ?... #tattoo #tattooed #stoneystclair #tattooartist #tattooflash

I visited Amsterdam for the first time 30 years ago this week; this footage was shot on 8mm cassette and converted to digital in 2015. Time really does fly. ThEnigma being tattooed by 22 tattoo artists, including Horishi III, Bob Vessels, Permanent Mark, Alex Binnie, and more.

Dale Grande, Chicago, 1970s. Tattoo by Cliff Raven.

Avery, Meadowlands Convention 1990. Avery wore tattoos by a variety of emerging artists who went on to become legends in the industry. Greg Kulz, Filip Leu, and an amazing "tortoise-saurus helmet" by Daniel Higgs.

Shotsie Gorman, 1980s tattoo convention. (I think this was Knoxville, 1986) Shotsie was a passionate advocate for the tattoo community, bridging the fine art world with the tattoo world.

I usually only post things that originate in my archive, and I admit I can't remember where I sourced this... Tom of Finland (L) and Samuel Steward (r) who wrote erotica under the name Phil Andros, and tattooed under the name Phil Sparrow.

Working on the lecture companion for my John Dagion presentation; not sure what it’s all going to look like in context but that’s part of the fun of it. #queertattoo history is tattoo history!

Daniel Higgs, Philadelphia March 27, 2025

Spot the differences? #tattooflash

A healed take on a Cliff Raven baphomet design for my sweetie @inkmagnolia.bsky.social All tattoo is folk art and I choose to embrace it #tattoo #queertattoo #cliffraven #traditionaltattoo #folktattoo #phillytattoo

This is Econ professor A. Viking Navaro and "lovely Jeffrey" - very early 1980s.Viking had some early representational black graphic (more commonly called 'tribal' these days) tattoo work from Cliff Raven. sacreddebris.com