Skin & Bones at Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum
April 24, 2009 marks the opening of the Philadelphia Independence Seaport Museum’s tattoo exhibit: Skin and Bones - Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor. The exhibit takes an educational and entertaining look at the beliefs and traditions that inspired maritime tattoos.
The exhibit will feature tattooing tools, both traditional and modern, tattoo flash and tattoo artwork, tattoo artifacts, and even a recreation of an old-fashioned tattoo parlor. The exhibit will appeal to tattoo aficionados, of course, but it also aims to provide some insight into the often misunderstood inked culture by explaining the importance of tattoos in the context of maritime tradition, folklore and mythology.
In addition to the limited run exhibit, the museum will feature two screenings of the film Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry, examining the life of Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins, the man most associated with American naval tattoos.
The exhibit runs through January 3, 2010.
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