Human skin

Made:
1850-1900 in France

Human skin, tattooed with anchor in wreath, above initials, French, 1850-1900. Tattoo - fouled anchor with wreath and initial 'HA' beneath, finely outlined. Execution appears amateurish, showing inconsistency of line and shadows in some areas, with some feathering and beading evident, but shows confident smooth linework in others - possibly made using an early machine, which would date the tattoo as made no earlier than 1890. Skin - colouration varies from orange-yellow to brown, with surface undulations. There is also an unknown sandy-textured dark brown substance adhering to areas of the skin and obscuring parts of the tattoo mark.

Details

Category:
Anatomy & Pathology
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A812
Materials:
Skin, Human
type:
human remains and tattoo
credit:
Wellcome Trust