October Book of the Month: Essential Works from the Studio of George Burchett
Step back into the roots of modern tattooing with October’s Book of the Month, Essential Works from the Studio of George Burchett by Jon Reiter. This hardcover collection is packed from front to back with historic flash and photographs from one of the most important figures in early professional tattooing. The artwork spans the late 1890s through the first half of the 20th century, with classic roses, names, dragons, military imagery and other traditional motifs alongside Burchett’s interpretations of Japanese, African and Southeast Asian designs. It’s less a book to simply read and more a visual time capsule of tattooing as the craft was developing into what we recognize today.
Known as the “King of Tattooists,” George Burchett (1872–1953) built one of the best-known tattoo practices of his era. After developing his skills around sailors and during his travels, he became a full-time tattooist in London in 1900 and went on to tattoo everyone from servicemen and working-class Londoners to members of European royalty. His Waterloo Road studio became a landmark of British tattooing, and his career stretched for more than half a century. Burchett was also an innovator, experimenting with equipment, incorporating influences gathered from around the world, and becoming an early practitioner of cosmetic tattooing. Essential Works is a perfect companion to Reiter’s 2012 biography, King of the Tattooists: The Life and Work of George Burchett, giving artists, collectors and tattoo-history lovers a closer look at the actual designs behind Burchett’s legacy.
197 pages | Hardcover | 6.5" × 9.25" | Flash & Photographs.
Normally priced at $100 get Essential Works from the Studio of George Burchett for just $85 for the month of October.
