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Abstract

Tattooing and body modification have been a part of human existence for thousands of years. Although for much of the 20th century, tattoos in America were seen as part of a subculture, in the late 20th century and into the 21st, they gained popularity and more widespread cultural acceptance. Despite the historical lack of mainstream acceptance, tattooing has a wide and varied history. Tattooing was and remains important to many indigenous people, it has always been popular within the military, especially during wartime, and it has a fascinating place in sideshow history. Even though many people now wear tattoos, the history behind the art form and the major contributors are not widely known. With mainstream cultural acceptance, however, there have been more attempts to record tattoo history, create archives, library exhibits, and museum collections. There are not many tattoo repositories or comprehensive texts on tattoo archives; however, this history is brought together in a comprehensive collection in the Tattoo Archive: https://www.tattooarchive.com/index.php. The purpose of this study is to document the mission, history, and content of the Tattoo Archive collection.

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