Tattooist Up In N.Y.C.

tattoo device

The new tattoo machine hit the market in 1892, a year after it was invented by Samuel O’Reilly. He was an engineer and tattooist, he took the trade of tattooing and shaped it into an industry by way of the first electric tattoo gun. Probably less known in today’s public is Charlie Wagner. He improved the tattoo machine in 1904. He changed the coils to a vertical position, which is how most of us picture a tattoo gun today. He worked in the tattooing industry for over 50 years, he really made a name for himself by tattooing sideshow celebrities. They all sought after him because of his fast and less painful tattoo gun. Wagner’s most well-known customer was Mildred Hull. She was a dancer of sorts and a side show performer. After getting tattooed by Wagner for a number of years, she followed in his footsteps and started tattooing. They both set up shop in the back of a barber shop on Bowery Street in New York City. They both got into the tattoo supplier trade. Millie was not the first women tattooist,but she was the first women tattooist in New York.

Millie and Charlie

Off topic: For those who want to know Maud Wagner of Kansas was the first woman tattooist in America, she learned the craft from her husband, Gus Wagner.