Object Details
Artist
Unidentified
Luce Center Label
A New York tattoo artist, Samuel Reilly, invented the electric tattoo machine in 1891. He adapted Thomas Edison's design for an electric pen, in which a reciprocating motor powered a needle, to create a tattoo machine that was faster and less painful than previous hand methods. The machine needed to be portable because early American tattoo artists traveled constantly along the eastern seaboard, selling their craft to sailors at the different ports. Needles of various sizes, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a small bottle of tattoo ink appear inside this box.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Date
ca. 1920s-1930s
Object number
1986.65.379
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Sculpture
Folk Art
Medium
painted wood with iron and brass trim and electrical fittings, tattooing needles and ink, paper card, labels, metal box, and glass bottles
Dimensions
overall: 22 x 17 x 7 in. (55.9 x 43.2 x 17.7 cm) box: 20 7/8 x 14 3/8 x 7 in. (52.9 x 36.4 x 17.7 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Animal\reptile\snake
Object\flower\rose
Object\written matter
Object\weapon\dagger
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1986.65.379