Show I IN NE NEW YORK it By v P PAUL PUL UL HARRISON NEW YORK ORK July 22 The 22 The tattoo tattoo- ing business as you may imagine isn't what it used to be Th The Atlantic fleet hasn't been to New Nework York ork in a along along along long time and mere merchant sailors have lost the urge for personal decora decora- tion Modern swains no longer seem anxious to be branded with sweethearts sweethearts sweethearts' sweethearts sweethearts' sweet sweet- hearts' hearts initials And bibulous fellows of today seldom have the inspiration to get themselves tattooed just for a il alark lark So it Is that Prof Proto Charles Wagner dean of or Amer Americas America's cas ca's needle artists has come upon the twilight ht of ot his colorful color ful career Down at Chatham Square where impassive Chinatown blends into the squalid Bowery the professor sor sits amon among his vivid pigments and his patterns and wonders if Jt therell there'll ever be a renaissance of the Intimate art Maybe it can be promoted to a fad like riding bicycles Perhaps women wo we- men can be persuaded to let him tattoo tattoo tat tat- too color in their checks or beauty I marks on their shoulder blades Maybe Maybe May l be the repeal o of prohibition would I help S SA S a A ROYAL PATRON PATRO Wagner wishes professional eth ethics ins didn't forbid mention of the names of oC prominent people who have been tattooed for he says he knows the vain little secrets of ot various society women gay young blades actresses and and explorers However he doesn't mind mentioning foreign patrons of ot the art King George V of ot England had a dragon tattooed on his arm after Czar Nicholas II and Queen Ol Olga a o of Greece set the fashion When Wagner went into his business bush busi ness 44 14 years ago tattooing was a n painful and laborious process done by hand In 1904 1004 thou though h Samuel OReilly OReil ly invented the electric needle The craft was taken up b by hundreds with standardized st. designs and md rival schools of ot technique Wagner had his whole body done in Biblical scenes as an advertising stunt and Chatham Square became I known as a center about score of professors proCessors had bad dios Today the number ha has h three but Wagner still dwindled little booth in one corner Comer of Chatham Barber Shop i lf institution of ot an older dJ 1 day window still sun bears a sl sign sign- g i B Eyes Made Natural o 0 o s oHIS a 9 HIS IllS MAGNUM 1 OPUS Ever since the World ar war Wagner had to hire several 3 to implant t pa patriotic Isu K In ha U hides of ol doughboys and tattoo trade ha has been fa fait failing lalling it was as with the utmost ou 00 Sa that he recently turned out the cr Ing achievement of his career His aesthetic enthusiasms s to run mainly to area Huge sur eagles on manly chests always j him glow Clow with pride So did did I ft the reo production of Rosa Bonheur's fain J three horses that he tattooed en II foot of C American square quare Sailor jailor Bi BI he ne still wasn't satisfied satisfied satisfied-e i I even cn i 41 he was commissioned to etch the Be p r traits of nine U. U S. S presidents 01 cr r considerable portion of ot a circus fr f. f rei called Lady Viola j Last spring thou though h In longshoreman named named Thorn Thomaj Thorna i L I j He had the broadest shoulders U professor ever had seen seen seen-a a muscular back worthy of ot I any artist supreme effort Eagerly Wagner Wagnern ex client Lee assented and over a his plan to the towe c lod iod of ot two months came in for fir jj sittings of or two Iwo hours each Finall Finally Wagner silenced hrs his c tJ fW needle and heaved a greit I The largest single pi piece ce of bl blin tattoo in the world was finished Titled fl of the Fiesta of ot Lady cl cI Mount Carmel it was two feet b bi three Included nine colors a lUKe brg area of ot elysian clouds seven trumpets and exactly 23 angels angel a magnum opus opus muni |