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For more than a century, the Statue of Liberty has offered inspiration as a beacon of freedom, equality, and democracy. And for just as long, she has also served as an inspiration for tattoo artists.
A new exhibit at City Reliquary, a jewel box of a museum in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, features vintage Statue of Liberty tattoos. As the first show devoted to Lady Liberty ink, it also traces tattooing history in NYC since the 1800s. "Liberty the Tattooed Lady: The Great Bartholdi Statue as Depicted in Tattooing" is now open through January 12, 2025.
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The exhibition spotlights antique flash, vintage photographs, drawings, and other ephemera that show how Lady Liberty has been a popular subject in tattooing for as long as she’s stood in New York Harbor. You'll even get to see vintage tattoo art that's never been on display before.
This show brings together artifacts from some of the most legendary tattooers of the early twentieth century, including Charlie Wagner, Bert Grimm, Owen Jensen, Dainty Dotty, and Lou Normand.
The modern-day electric tattooing process actually began right here in the Bowery, City Reliquary Museum founder, Dave Herman explained in a press release.
Back in 1891, when the New York tattooist Samuel O’Reilly saw a Thomas Edison engraving pen in the window of a downtown stationer, he saw something that Edison may have never imagined.
"Soon, using indelible ink and electricity, sailors' bodies were being emblazoned with permanent souvenirs from their days on the streets of New York," Herman said. "What better way to prove that than with the image of the newly built colossal statue of 'Liberty Enlightening the World,' which shone down upon our harbor?"
Herman founded The City Reliquary as an apartment window display back in 2002. It's grown since then into a full-fledged museum preserving the everyday artifacts that connect visitors to the past and present of New York City.
As for preserving tattoo history, Daredevil Tattoo takes on that task with its Museum of Tattoo History packed with antique artifacts like machines, original photos, news articles and sideshow banners. Daredevil Tattoo, located near the Bowery, partnered with The City Reliquary to create the exhibition.
"The Statue of Liberty is a powerful symbol for the country and she has also come to represent the city itself," the show's curator Michelle Myles said. "We believe that showcasing the Statue of Liberty through this medium provides a unique perspective for our visitors."
See "Liberty the Tattooed Lady: The Great Bartholdi Statue as Depicted in Tattooing" at The City Reliquary (370 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg) now through January 12, 2025. Tickets cost $10 (or $8 for NYC residents). All are invited to a free opening reception on Friday, April 5, at 6pm.