Lionel Out Of Step Tattoo

Hori Ngakapa Te Whanaunga, Maori chief of the Ngatiwhanaunga tribe, active 1851-1885.

Queen Vaekehu’s Tattooed Leg. Culture: Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia, circa 1823-1901. Medium: Photograph/engraving reproduction; black-and-white print. Source: From Frederick O'Brien’s Atolls of the Sun, 1922.

This photograph shows the tattooed leg of Queen Vaekehu (1823-1901), the last queen of the Marquesas archipelago. After converting to Catholicism in 1853, Vaekehu chose a path of reconciliation with the French colonial administration and spent the twilight of her life in the mission compound.

In the Marquesas, the tradition of tattooing is known as patutiki–a concept meaning to imprint a figure or image, derived from the words patu (to strike) and tiki (figure/image). According to this tradition, every motif on the skin was considered a fragment originating from the body of the mythological first human. (As the tattooing process progressed, it was believed that the individual’s own skin integrated with the mythological ancestor’s body, becoming a part of it.)

When German explorer Georg Forster visited the region, he described the people as appearing almost black, with their bodies covered in spots, spirals, bars, checkers, and stripes. O'Brien’s book was published right in the middle of this tradition’s decline. In fact, under the influence of the French colonial administration, tattooing had been outlawed since the late 19th century, and missionaries in Polynesia condemned the art form as a symbol of pagan beliefs. The art of tattooing largely faded away during the first half of the 20th century. It didn’t see a powerful resurgence in French Polynesia until the 1990s, when it reemerged as part of a quest for cultural identity.

If you’re interested, I’d recommend this book:

Religious and secular tattoo illustrations for the pilgrims of the Holy House of Loreto, from Caterina Pigorini Beri’s work I Tatuaggi Sacri e Profani della Santa Casa di Loreto, 1889. Medium: Ink on paper.

The history of the Holy House of Loreto dates back to December 10, 1294; according to legend, it’s been recognized as the Virgin Mary’s house from Nazareth ever since. As the heart of Loreto, a small town in the Marche region, this structure became one of Christianity’s most prominent pilgrimage sites starting in the early 14th century. Pilgrims flocked there not only from the neighboring regions of Lazio, Abruzzo, Umbria, and Piceno, but from all across Europe.

Pilgrims had to prove they’d completed their journey (whether for the absolution of sins, the fulfillment of vows, or certain privileges granted by the church). Initially, medallions or badges served as this proof; however, these could be lost, stolen, or even counterfeited. As a result, the religious tattoo gradually became a much more reliable solution: it couldn’t be lost or stolen, and it was carried on the body for a lifetime. It’s widely accepted that the tattooing tradition in Loreto probably began in the early 17th century, though some sources suggest its roots stretch back to the 15th century, or even to the period before Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus.

The people who kept this tradition alive in Loreto fell into two distinct groups.

In the early days, monks known as frati marcatori (marker friars) took on this role. Starting off by tattooing simple Christian symbols on hands and wrists, these monks eventually moved on to more intricate designs - most notably, depictions of the Madonna di Loreto. In later centuries, however, the task passed to shoemakers. These artisans easily adapted to this side job because they were already familiar with working leather and dyes. The shoemakers worked right at the entrances or doorsteps of their homes facing the Holy House, keeping their equipment close at hand.

Sitting in front of their shops, the shoemakers would dip wooden blocks carved from boxwood into a sooty blue-indigo mixture and press them against the pilgrim’s arm. Then, using the thick, three-pronged steel needles normally meant for stitching leather, they’d pierce the skin until it began to bleed, making the design permanent. Done right in the middle of the street with shoemaking needles, this procedure was exceptionally painful and often led to severe infections. Because of growing health concerns and the risk of spreading diseases like syphilis, Italian authorities officially banned Loreto tattoos in 1871. Despite the ban, neither the shoemakers nor the pilgrims gave up the practice. They kept at it in the back rooms of their shops using their shoe repair tools well into the mid-twentieth century.

Jo Bench