hand drawn and colored doubled sided flash cards which present samples of the tattooist's work offered in double glazed frames; They display a wide variety of typical tattoo themes - girls (clad and not so much), patriotic imagery, animals, etc. Among the larger and more impressive are a detailed lion's head, a colorful and graphic image of St. George slaying a dragon, and a full sheet vignette 'Remember the Maine 'which helps dates the flash to the turn of the 20th century (the sinking of the Maine occurred in 1898). One panel is signed with 'Joe Clingan Tattooing' rubber stamp but they all are most certainly by the same hand. According to a 1948 article in the Lethbridge Herald (Alberta, CN) Clingan retired in 1948 after 50 years "pushing ink" - he died in 1952. His "flash" is legendary and considered among the rarest with possibly only 3 other known examples. One example is in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, a gift of the late Herbert Hemphill, a founding trustee on the Museum of American Folk Art. Note the small holes in the corners of each sheet - they show how the sheets were strung together and hung in the tattoo parlor or easily displayed when traveling.

frames 16" x 11"

good (sheets are age darkened)