EMMA FREEMAN
SPECIALIST PRACTICE
Some of the inmates have shaved heads, some have longer hair. Their skin is full of scars, uneven skin tones, very aged and tired looking. Their tattoos are randomly placed on the body.
Before the discovery of penicillin in 1928, syphilis was an incurable disease. Its symptoms were as terrifying as they were unrelenting. Those who suffered from it long enough could expect to develop unsightly skin ulcers, paralysis, gradual blindness, dementia and ‘saddle nose‘, a grotesque deformity which occurs when the bridge of the nose caves into the face.
TATTOOS IN CRIMINAL CULTURE
Tattooing has been practiced through the ages in most early civilizations, it is often imbued with different magical qualities, though also simply for aesthetics. However, in the more developed civilizations it soon became a mark of primitiveness and barbarism, and was also applied forcibly as a symbol of stigma (Hambly 1925: 229; Brain 1989). Some academics at the end of the 19th
century, for example Adolf Loos, saw tattoos as simple ornaments. For him, excessive ornamentation in general was a sign of the primitiveness of the civilization or group, and tattoos in particular were only worn by uncultured barbarians, such as the Papuans, and criminals (Canalesand Herscher 2005: 236-8).
Blog | body bio (2022) Available at: http://www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/body-bio (Accessed: 5 November 2015).
Wahlstedt, E. (2015) ‘Tattoos in criminal culture’, .
Firstly, in regards to the tattoo as a stigma symbol, it is important to note that in our current Western world or Russia, the tattoo in itself carries only a very limited stigma. They are not unique to criminals, not even in large numbers, and only a few people know and can decipher which tattoos relate to the criminal underworld or gang affiliation. It is the dynamic of criminality and tattoos within such countries where this is the case that the paper analyses; those cultures where the tattoo is a stigma in itself in all probability follow a different dynamic and are excluded a priority. These tattoos may seem completely harmless and the person not privy to their meanings could easily mistake them for simple expressions of individuality. Furthermore, there is no reason to assume that any tattoo that can be easily concealed, and is of a common neutral theme, inhibits the person’s interaction in “normal” society. However, there is a qualitative difference between the tattoo of a criminal and that of a “normal” person. The reason for this is that the criminal’s tattoo relates to his primary source of stigmatization criminality or conviction making it apparent
Wahlstedt, E. (2015) ‘Tattoos in criminal culture’, .
RUSSIAN PRISON TATTOOS
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“when you fall behind bars, it is an incredibly strong blow,”
“you find yourself in those walls, surrounded by strangers, you don’t really live a life but you think about freedom. Basically, ninety per cent of the conversation is about how it was there and not about here”
All images and text below: Lambert, A. and Christ, M. (2003) Russian prison Tattoos: Codes of authority, domination and struggle. United States: Schiffer Publishing.
Interesting shading and detail landscape on the body
THE RISKS OF PRISON TATTOOS
This prisoner is a victim of syphilis and has suffered severe scarring to his face, eyes and mouth. In the prisons and colonies, male or female prisoners suffering from venereal diseases (such as syphilis) are known as 'buketniki,' bouquet holders. They are also nicknamed after army ranks, depending on how advanced their condition is; for example, ‘Kolka whored around without taking any precautions. Yesterday the medic told me that he was already a “lieutenant."' (An inmate suffering from second-stage syphilis is known as a ‘colonel,’ third-stage a ‘general.') There are cases where people have contracted syphilis, AIDS and tetanus while getting tattoos under insanitary prison conditions. Tattooing is forbidden in the prisons and camps, prosecuted and punished severely by the authorities. The practice has acquired more status as it gets pushed underground.
DISEASES CAUSED BY TATTOOING: SYPHILIS/AIDS/TETANUS
The last half of the nineteenth century contains many reports of syphilitic infection implanted during tattooing, sometimes in epidemic form, as brought out by Maury and Dulles.1 However, only after the beginning of the twentieth century does one find reports of an unusual distribution of the secondary syphilitic eruption in relation to tattooed figures in the skin.
In the earliest reports attention was called only to an accentuation of the secondary eruption in and near the tattoo; in the later reports, for the most part, an accentuation of secondary papules in the blue portion of tattoo was emphasized, while the bright red portions ordinarily escaped. Since it was known that the bright red usually used was vermilion (mercuric sulphide) the conclusion was fairly obvious that the lack of eruption in the red portions was due to the protective quality of the mercuric ion.
The dollar bills, skyscrapers and machine gun with the initials ‘US’ stamped on it convey this inmate’s love for the American mafia-like lifestyle. The eyes signify ‘I’m watching over you’ (meaning the other inmates in the prison or camp).
THE HUMAN ICONOGRAPHY OF THE RUSSIAN UNDERGROUND
BY CHRIS WILD
File: A girl suffering from secondary Syphilis to the face Wellcome L0038266.jpg (2015) Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_girl_suffering_from_secondary_Syphilis_to_the_face_Wellcome_L0038266.jpg#/media/File:A_young_girl_suffering_from_congenital_Syphilis_to_the_face_Wellcome_L0038265.jpg (Accessed: 18 November 2015).
THE LATER STAGES OF SYPHILIS
A snake around the neck is a sign of drug addiction. The stars on the clavicles and epaulettes on the shoulders show that this inmate is a criminal authority. The Madonna and child is one of the most popular tattoos worn by criminals — there can be a number of meanings. It can symbolise loyalty to a criminal clan; it can mean the wearer believes the Mother of God will ward off evil; or it can indicate the wearer has been behind bars from an early age
Posts about bust on Cakehead loves evil (2015) Available at: https://cakeheadlovesevil.wordpress.com/tag/bust/ (Accessed: 18 November 2015).
This bust is from Paul Komoda’s “Human Pathology” series. It is the image of a woman suffering from Tertiary Syphilis
RUSSIAN PRISON DOCUMENTARY
-Russia ranks second for the amount for prisoners
-prisons are over crowded
-death is around every corner
-more than 100 people in the cell
-the tattoos communicate rankings and status within the prison
-if you have no tattoos you are worthless
-attacks are provoked by who has what tattoos
-the meaning of a star tattoo depends on the location of the stars on the body. On the knees the tattoo means the prisoner has respect- I will never get on my knees in front of anybody.
-the stars on the chest mean the highest respect
-roman wears his scars from the guards with pride. Put into solidary for hitting a guard and breaking his jaw
-In1846 they branded criminals as the kat, which is short for catsongic, which is short for hard labour criminal
-Someone who has no morals, to whom nothing is sacred
-They were proud of themselves
-Bullet injuries
-Tigers, leopard and wolfs represent hostility towards the authorities oskil, the Russian word for big grin.
-Spiders mean that you are a thief, if it is liming up it means they are not finished with their days robbing
-Each dome on the cathedral means their time spent in prison
-If the cathedral is on the hand and it has a mantel on it, it means their sentence was over 5 years
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It is interesting to see all of the meanings of each of the tattoos. The placement on the body and detailing all have an underlying meaning. I will use these ideas when designing my tattoos.
This research has given me an insight to the ruthlessness of a prisoner. They are willing to put themselves through the danger of diseases from the tattooing inside of the prison. I have considered how I could create this in a makeup, or if this effect could be digitally enhanced by CGI.
