The body of all life

Photo Herbert Hoffmann - probably the most famous tattoo artist in the world, which for many years took off his and others' pictures on the bodies of the sailors, musicians, adventurers and alkogolikov.Herbert Hoffmann opened his own tattoo studio in Hamburg after the war and at the time of his death ( June 30, 2010) remained the oldest practicing tattoo artist in the world. All this time Hoffmann shot on medium format Rolleiflex camera portraits of their clients and record the history of their lives and tattoos.

13 photos + text





American sailors from the aircraft carrier "Randolph" learn flushes - tattoos samples in the window of the Hamburg studio Hoffmann. 1966



Hoffmann at work.



Lyle Tuttle, born. In 1931, a tattoo artist. One of the most famous artists of his time, he worked with many celebrities in the 1960s, including Janis Joplin, Cher, Henry Fonda. Hoffmann photo taken in 1971, a few months before the portrait of Tuttle appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone.



Alfred from Vienna.



Pelco Wilhelm, b. in 1882, a soldier. Pelco snake around his neck and a rose on his cheeks go back to the times of Willy sluzhyuy the French Foreign Legion after the First World War. After the death of his wife Willy per propyl all the money has been declared incompetent and sent to the clinic for alcoholics. In 1960, Hoffmann Pelco helped find a new job and rastatuiroval his back.



August-Wilhelm Mueller, born. in 1892, a worker. I went to the studio once a strong drunk. Since the principle of Hoffmann worked with drunk, I was restricted to two photographs that Muller himself very much. His tattoos were made during the First World War.



Richard Wulka, born. In 1911, a businessman. In the late 1960s he lived in Frankfurt, where he was tattooed Horst Shtrekenbah - their wives were close friends. According to the memoirs Hoffmann Wulka often came to visit him in Hamburg, each time doing some business calls from his home phone number, and the last visit took 50 brands that have not put.



Dr. Dold, born. In 1920, shoe manufacturer. Hoffman asked him to make tattoos on the parts of the body, where they will not interfere with his career of a successful businessman. For several long sessions Hoffmann rastatuiroval Dold buttocks, pubic area, underarms and soles of the feet. One of the first in Germany made his pierced nipples.



Emma and Oscar Manishevski, born. in 1878 and 1886., circus artists. Until the 1930s, they toured the world as a tattooed couple - fire-eater and glotatelnitsa swords. With the coming to power of the Nazis such shows were banned, and most of their colleagues disappeared. After the war, Hoffmann was able to find blue Oscar and his wife through the search for missing persons bureau of the Red Cross.



Devinast Alphonse, born. in 1892, a worker. A committed communist. In the Nazi years, he spent several years in a concentration camp. Hoffmann got to know him during the second half of 1950 and for several years he did the tattoo on the shoulders, elbows and large image on his chest, designed to symbolize the equality of the face of death



Otto Christensen, born. In 1902, docker. Left homeless in Hamburg after a bombing at the end of the war, prebralsya with his family to Copenhagen, but continued to often visited his hometown. Hoffmann taught to speak Low German - a traditional dialect of northern Germany and the Netherlands.



Unknown.



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