12

(Washington D.C., ca. 1927)

"Captain" Elmer Getchell Tattoo Artist Business Card

Extremely rare business card for "Captain" Elmer Getchell (1863-1940), "Inventor of the Vibrating Electric Tattooing Machine," Washington D.C., ca. 1927. Printed on paper.

Although the first patent for a rotary tattoo machine was issued to Samuel O'Reilly, his former partner, Elmer Getchell, is regarded as the actual inventor of the coil machine used today. From 1897 to 1899, Getchell partnered with O'Reilly at 5 Chatham Square on the Bowery. The two had a falling out and Getchell opened a shop at 11 Chatham Square.

In 1899, O'Reilly filed a lawsuit against Getchell claiming he had infringed on his patent rights by producing and selling tattoo machines. The case was never resolved, probably because O'Reilly's machine was based on different technology and was never widely used, not even by O'Reilly.

Getchell had gotten his start years earlier in Boston, where he was hand-tattooing professionally by the late 1870s. He created many of the iconic body suits of the dime museum era, including those on Fred Hadley (see Lot 127) and Frank DeBurgh (see Lot 134).
2 x 3 1/2 in. (5.1 x 8.9 cm.)

  • Condition: Significant loss and staining to right side visible in photos.

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July 13, 2025 11:00 AM EDT
Portsmouth, NH, US

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