New York City Tattoo: The Oral History of an Urban Art

New York City Tattoo documents the lively, humorous and often violent history of the art from the early years of the 20th century, in the words of the men who "pushed the pins" in places like Coney Island and the Bowery. Tattooing at the time evoked the dangerous fringes of society, and for over a decade Michael McCabe assiduously gained the confidence of the few surviving practitioners of this vanished era. These highly-charged interviews provide a privileged look into a clannish world of honor, respect, and jealously guarded trade secrets. They reveal facets of New York social history and a volatile, misunderstood and secretive art form.