Tattoos were once a rarity before becoming a popular art form.
CNN reports that tattoos may have appeared more than 5,000 years ago, originating from a natural mummified person named Ötzi. This person has 61 marks carved in charcoal on his body. These are said to be the oldest tattoos in the world.
Like any other art form, tattooing has a complicated history, including elements such as cultural traditions, early tools, etc. Tattoos also have their own place to keep. Daredevil Museum (New York, USA) and Lyle Tuttle museum and studio (San Francisco, USA) are named after legendary tattoo artists.
People spend their whole life collecting tattoos
Henk Schiffmacher - Dutch tattoo artist - said that the Internet has helped people have a new look at tattoos. He collects more than 40,000 objects and works related to the total skull clothing art of tattooing.
His collection includes a series of Japanese woodblock prints featuring tattoos of 19th-century Kabuki characters. In addition, he keeps posters and black-and-white photos of women tattooed at the festival, along with designs. from many centuries.
Schiffmacher - who has practiced tattooing since the 1970s - said: "There are a lot of serious collectors these days. Combined with the Internet, we can see what other people are keeping."
Part of Schiffmacher's collection is kept in the Amsterdam Tattoo Museum, Netherlands. His house is filled with tattoos from Japan's Edo period, the 19th century.
Schiffmacher became interested in preserving art before becoming a Skull 3D tattoo artist. As a child, he often kept flint and arrowhead tattoos and hung a "my museum" sign as a marker.
Become a part of the museum
The Tropenmuseum (Netherlands) and the Natural History Museum (USA) have borrowed parts of Schiffmacher's collection. Many of his pieces appeared in the exhibition Tatoueurs, Tatoués in 2015.
There are many ways in which ancient tattoos are preserved. A black and white photograph is the most concrete artifact. It shows patterns that were popular in the past. Besides, many people choose to donate their skin to preserve and save tattoos.