172

(Detroit, ca. 1925)

Percy Waters Tattoo Machine Used by Canadian Tattoo Artist Edwin Revell

Accompanied by extra tubes, machine parts, three glass jars of pigment, a cord, and a hand tattoo instrument. Used by Ontario tattoo artist Edwin "Ted" Revell (1886-1963). Made by tattoo artist and supplier Percy Waters (1888-1952), Detroit, Michigan, ca. 1925. Nickel-plated bronze or brass, painted gold. Stamped "Percy Waters" and "Detroit" on front of frame.


Edwin "Ted" Revell

Discerning readers of Belleville's Ontario Intelligencer newspaper on August 20, 1932 might have noticed an advertisement offering something unfamiliar in their city: tattooing. The man behind it was Edwin Revell (1886-1963), an English immigrant who worked as a machinist for Canadian National Railways. Little is known about how, when, and why Revell started tattooing. It is possible that he encountered the trade during trips outside Belleville, perhaps in nearby cities. Roughly 250 miles east in Montreal were tattooers Charles Snow and Frederick Baldwin, both of English origin as well. About fifty miles west in Kingston, Joseph 'Sailor Joe' Simmons was well known for tattooing. Just over 120 miles west in Toronto, Thomas Powell had been tattooing for over a decade. Unlike these figures, Revell seems to have been one of the many tattooers in early twentieth century Canada who faded into relative obscurity soon after they began. Nevertheless, his work as a tattooer connected him to a broader commodity network extending well beyond his small city, as he would have sourced many of the materials necessary for tattooing through these connections.

Researched and written by Jamie Jelinski, author of Needle Work: A History of Commercial Tattooing in Canada (2024).
6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm.)

  • Condition: Some period modifications likely made by Revell, including new hole drilled on frame bottom and the addition of an English tube.

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August 25, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
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