Tattooed Human Skin Specimens

Tattooed Human Skin at the Science Museum, London. 

All photographs by © Gemma Angel

At the first-ever Museums Showoff on 25th April 2012, Gemma Angel made a brief (9-minute maximum!) presentation on the subject of her doctoral research - a collection of tattooed human skin found at the Wellcome Collection in London. This particular collection consists of about 300 pieces of human skin, probably French in origin, created between 1850-1920 - LINK

Tattooed human skin (Object no. A576), showing rigor mortis in the arrector pili muscles of the skin - LINK

Tattooed Human Skin, c.1850-1920 (Science Museum object no. A670). Dimensions h258mm x w123mm x d0.4mm - LINK

Tattooed Human Skin revealing both the protruding nipple and the fragile transparency of the skin. (Science Museum object no. A670).- LINK

Detail showing thick hair coverage on the skin surface (left), and the pattern of rounded depressions on the reverse of the skin (right) - LINK

A pair of tattooed eyes. Preserved human skin (Science Museum Object no.s A747 & A754). - LINK

The Wounded Tattoo, c.1850-1920. Science Museum Number A544. Dimensions h353 x w228mm x d1mm. Preserved human skin, tattooed with a series of patterned dots and crosses; initials and lettering in French; two hearts, including one pierced by arrows; and the head and torso of a man. - LINK

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Tattooed human skin (Science Museum object no. A544). - LINK