Body piercing, tattooing, painting in the galleries of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. What does it mean to you? to others? Take our survey or start over. "There is no Excellent Beauty that hath not some Strangenesse in the Proportion." --Bacon

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		"[His tattoos are] the work of a departed prophet and seer of his island, who, by those hieroglyphic marks, had written out on his body a complete theory of the heavens and the earth, and a mystical treatise on the art of attaining truth; so that Queequeg in his own proper person was a riddle to unfold; a wondrous work in one volume." --Herman Melville, Moby Dick < Joe D'Orazio, thirty something... His work was done by Fred Corbin, formerly of Tattoo City in San Francisco in 1993.
" 'For, you see,' said the Illustrated Man, 'These Illustrations predict the future.' " --Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man (thanks to Carol C. for the quotes!)		Suzanne's skull and crossbones

I have in the past pierced under my tounge.. the frenulum i believe its called.. I did it when i was 17 years old. As soon as i turned 18.. within 4 months of eachother.. i got a butterfly w/ a flower tattooed on my ankle.. and a yin yang with a chinese dragon on my lower back.. i also got my tonge pierced. My name is Jennifer, i'm 18 years old, from Fresno Ca. And i did it because I love body art.. i think its interesting.. but i also think that there are limits depending on the type of proffesional field you plan on going into or are in.. because some people do get offended and disgusted when they see tattoos or piercings.--Luv5UBL1ME

While it was interesting to see that earplugs were an item of fashion in Guatemala, and that you had evidence of ear-wear in other areas of the world, I was surprised to find nothing of earplugs being worn in ancient Egypt. Diffusion is becoming a more accepted view of the ancient world, and rightly so . . . so what of earplugs in ancient Egypt? I recall seeing some splendid gold spools that came from Tutankhamen's tomb . . . and while I realize you wouldn't have them yourself, perhaps some acknowledgement on your site that they occurred in other parts of the world than Guatamala, might be in order? --Richard Richard: Thanks for pointing out that similar types of body modification occur in other parts of the world and at other times. That's just the idea we hoped to spark in people's minds (even with the limitation of only being able to show what's on display in our galleries!) Can anyone point us to pictures/evidence of the gold spools from Tutankhamen's tomb?

Well im Katherine and im 17 year's old from Cambridge Ontario in Canada and i have 3 earing's in each ear and my eyebrow peirced and inbetween my eyebrow's my septom, my lip my tounge and both of my nipples are peirced. I also have 1 tattoo that's a dragon i have a pic of it. And i got in real s--t when i told and showed my mother but she dosent really know why i did it and she dosent understand ether. I think the she thinks that peircing and tattoo's are the devil or something ... Well i did it because i wanted to and i like expressing my body in different way's

I have two piercings--belly-button and tounge--one on my 21st birthday and the other about 2.5 months ago. I also have two scars on my upper right thigh--sag and dragon symbols. I did both of those because I was depressed, but I am planning to do another (self designed for my left thigh) for the same reason I got the piercings--to express myself. I am Bethany, originally from Dallas, Oregon (going to University as an Art Major) and am 22 years old. Hope this helps.

I recently got an "industrial piercing". This is when you get the elastic upper-ear cartilage pierced twice with a barbell through both holes. I got this done very recently, 2/16/99. I think that my tongue is next on the list, and probablt the last. I had my piercing done on my eighteenth birthday. Mabe it sounds immature, but I felt like I needed it to show my parents that they can't ontrol over every aspect of my life. I was also trying to overcome a life-long (and very intense) fear of needles. I think that it helped me. it wasn't nearly as painful as i can expected, and made me feel sort of powerful. By the way, I'm Anne, I'm eighteen years old, and am from Columbus, Ohio

Can anyone help Jerry out with some pix? hey there i'm looking to get a new tat and i was wondering if you had any cool pictures that you could send me... --your friend jerry JMD1981@aol.com

Hi. I am 47. My ears are pierced. Once. Am I conservative or what? Anyway, I wonder if any of you have read Flannery O'Connor's story "Parker's Back." It is about a man who has the face of Jesus tattooed on his back. It's great reading. --Mo.

	Hello again.. It is Tammy here from Pennsylvania again... I got my third tattoo on Febuary 6 of 1999, and here is a pic of it, u will be seeing more pics very soon, now that i got film, i will be getting them done, so here ya go, i hope u like it.....

I am 31 years old, female, and have three large sized tattoos. I thought about getting a tatt for eleven years. Then when I finally did, I was thrilled. It is my name in my native language Lakota of the Sioux nation. It represents my pride, my grandmothers, and the four directions sacred to my people. The other one is on my back and it is from shoulder to shoulder. It is two tribal birds united and flying together. Part of my native name is drawn into the piece as well. It represents me and my mother and the struggles we have dealt with together. Last, but not least, on my other upper arm is a portrait of my good friend who was a Yaki Indian brother. He died in a car accident and I thought about getting it for two years. When I finally did everyone around me, including myself and my tattoo artist, all had very strange dreams for several days following. I think it was my friend saying hello. The main reason I have body art is for me. I have seen some really bad work (tatts) in my life, and I made sure I talked with and researched each artist. I feel each piece represents important milestones in my life. Each one has tons of meanings, thoughts, secrets and knowledge about who I am, where I have been and where I am going. I chose to show my tattoos whenever I feel. They all can be covered up with a t-shirt. Sometimes I do cover them, mostly when I am around people who will not understand them, therefor assume and judge me before talking to me. This matters, even though I am in the arts, as a filmmaker. I would rather tell them about it myself. Mostly, I have everyone from my grandmothers age to kids asking questions about them, and most all admire them, or are educated in some strange way. All in all I tell my friends who don't have any to think long and hard about whether to get one or not, because in the end, it is you that sees them everyday, and if you chose wisely, you will smile when you do. -- R. Sadheart

My name is Maya, I'm 18 years old and I live in Wellington, New Zealand. I've had my ears peirced with a gun at various chemists about 6 times, but am currently letting them all close up, as I'm planning on getting them re-peirced with a needle and streched to accomodate plugs.On the 12th of June, 1998 I got my left nipple peirced, and a 12 gauge ball closure ring inserted. A friend of mine had recently had both of her nipples peirced, and was so pleased with the results that she strongly encouraged me to follow her lead. At first I refused, thinking that I'd never have the courage to get a needle shoved through a part of me, other than my ear.I really liked the look of it, though, and so a few weeks later I'd decided that it would be a test, to see if I really could go through with it. I did. I've now discovered what a lot of people won't tell you, that peircing can get addictive. I had an over-grown frenelum at birth (I was tongue-tied), and ! I couldn't get my tongue peirced, so on the 5th of November, I got it cut by my local body adornment specialist who had peirced my nipple, Hamish Halley at Fleshwound in Wellington. My frenelum grew back partially within a week, but I was still able to get my tongue peirced two weeks later. I am now planning on finding a peircing-friendly job, getting my other nipple peirced, stretching my ears, and getting two lip peircings (one on either side of my lower lip) and a labret in a slightly bigger gauge. I've never really felt happy with the way I look, and I've always liked the look of metal against flesh, so for me peircing is a quick form of body modification with instant gratification. I also love having a nipple peirced, as many people I've met have described me as a "prude", and it's my little secret....

i have one tattoo already. I will soon be getting another. the first tat has tons of personal meaning, the next one will too. the first was to remind me of the good and evil in everyone. the second is to remind me of my birthday and, my true love. Now my piercing is a different story. those i did for shock effect. my tongue is done along with my brow,finally my ears.12 piercings all together. --sunnie

Well this is Tammy again, from Pennsylvania. I got a butterfly tattoo, on Monday, January 25th. The butterfly is of dark purple on the ends of it, and in the middle it is light purple, and the body of the butterfly is orange, with orange tear drops in the wings. I also got soem other good news, i finally landed a job at a tattooing and body piercings place here in Pennsylvania...

My name is Amber and I have several piercings and tattoos. I got my first tat when I was thirteen,a gay triangle with two women sex signs interlocked. My next tat was a "tribal" on my ankle at age 15. Since then I have received ten more tats from back to pelvis. I have got an eight gauge in my tongue and my nipples with a ten gauge.

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Body piercing, tattooing, painting in the galleries of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. What does it mean to you? to others? Take our survey or start over.