Sailor Jerry Collins "His Book", Tattoo Tales "(Written sometime in the 1970's)", Shanghai Kate Hellenbrand, EXTREMELY RARE LIMITED BOOK!

66 Pages of stories from Sailor Jerry Himself, written "sometime in the 1970's"

Very Rare Piece of Collectible Tattoo Memorabilia, belongs in a Museum, Tattoo Shop Display, Or Art Collection!


Shanghai Kate Hellenbrand
Early life

"Shanghai" Kate Hellenbrand was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She started drawing at the age of 4. As a child, she enjoyed going with her grandmother to the circus and carnivals where she first saw people who had tattoos. Later, she went to art school at both ArtCenter College of Design and the Chouinard Art Institute.
Career

With a background in art, she gained a work in advertising in the 1960s at the agency Muller Jordan & Herrick in New York City. At a time when tattooing was still illegal in New York, she and Michael "Mike" Malone (also known as Rollo Banks) both contributed to organising the American Folk Art Museum's 1971 exhibition "Tattoo!". After the exhibition, Rollo Banks began his own tattoo work at their studio apartment and later opened Catfish Tattoo where she originally helped him as a "hostess".

She was not originally aware of any American women tattoo artists, only having heard of Australian-based Bev Robinson (also known as Cindy Ray) and England-based Rusty Skuse. Although she felt that the tattoo industry was not welcoming of women tattoo artists at that time, she agreed to do her first tattoo for Tommy King when asked to do so by this regular client at Catfish Tattoo, drawing on her traditional background in art theory combined with her interest in this art form of tattooing and in the tools used by tattoo artists.

She later went to work with Sailor Jerry who she considered to be a mentor, and she has collaborated with many other famous tattoo artists, including Franklin Paul Rogers, Huck Spaulding, Don Ed Hardy, Zeke Owen, and Jack Rudy. Rudy gave her the nickname Shanghai Kate because she always worked at Chinatowns.

She ran Shanghai Kate's Tattoo Parlor in Austin, Texas.
Death and legacy

She was considered to be "America's Tattoo Godmother" since, starting in 1971, she had shaped the tattoo industry and had the longest career of any other female tattoo artist in the USA. She was passionate about preserving tattoo history as shown by how she frequently visited tattoo conventions, mentored younger tattoo artists (especially women), and gave talks about the evolution of tattooing.

In 2019, Inked included her on its list of the "10 Female Artists Who've Changed the Tattoo Industry."

She died at the age of 79 on November 15, 2022.


Sailor Jerry Collins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sailor Jerry
Born    Norman Keith Collins

January 14, 1911
Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Died    June 12, 1973 (aged 62)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Other names    Norman K. Collins, Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins, NKC, Sailor Jerry, SJ, $
Occupation(s)    Tattoo artist, sailor, musician
Spouse    Louise Collins (wife)

Norman Keith Collins (January 14, 1911 – June 12, 1973), known popularly as Sailor Jerry, was a prominent American tattoo artist in Hawaii who was well known for his sailor tattoos.
Biography

Norman Keith Collins was born on January 14, 1911, in Reno but grew up in Northern California. As a child he hopped freight trains across the country and learned tattooing from a man named "Big Mike" from Palmer, Alaska, originally using the hand-pricking method. In the late 1920s he met Tatts Thomas from Chicago who taught him how to use a tattoo machine. He practiced on drunks brought in from Skid Row. He later sailed the Pacific Ocean before settling in Hawaii in the 1930s.

At age 19, Collins enlisted in the United States Navy. During his subsequent travels at sea, he was exposed to the art and imagery of Southeast Asia. During his career as a tattoo artist, he worked as a licensed skipper of a large three-masted schooner, on which he conducted tours of the Hawaiian islands.

In addition to sailing and tattooing, he played the saxophone in his own dance band and frequently hosted his own radio show, where he was known as "Old Ironsides".
Body artist

Sailor Jerry made significant contributions to the art of tattooing. He expanded the array of colors available by developing his own pigments. He created custom needle formations that embedded pigment with much less trauma to the skin. He became one of the first artists to utilize single-use needles. His tattoo studio was one of the first to use an autoclave to sterilize equipment.

Collins's last studio was at 1033 Smith Street in Honolulu's Chinatown. At the time, it was the only place on the island where tattoo studios were located. His studio became China Sea Tattoo after his death. His earlier studios were at 434 South State Street, 150 North Hotel Street and 13 South Hotel Street.

Among Sailor Jerry's most well-known designs were:

    Bottles of booze
    Snakes
    Wildcats
    The infamous "Aloha" monkey
    Eagles, falcons and other birds of prey
    Swallows
    Motor heads and pistons
    Nautical stars
    Classically styled scroll banners
    Knives, guns and other weapons
    Dice
    Anchors
    Hawaii themes
    Pin-up girls

Legacy

Sailor Jerry's influence on the art of modern tattooing is widely recognized.

Sailor Jerry wanted at least one of three protégés/friends – Ed Hardy, Mike Malone, or Zeke Owen – to take over his shop (or else burn it) when he died.[clarification needed]

Since 2015, an annual independently produced event now takes place in Hawaii every June called the Sailor Jerry Festival to honor Collins's legacy and Chinatown roots on Oahu. The multi-venue event includes live music, DJs, cabaret performances, and an art show (featured artists have included Sailor Jerry's great-grand niece Madison Thomas, local artists, and Masami Teraoka), movie screenings, a pin-up fashion show (where models wear outfits designed from Sailor Jerry flash), neighborhood tours, and tattoos available at three area shops (including Sailor Jerry's last location). A portion of the proceeds from the event is donated every year to the Collins family by the festival founder (Jason Miller of 808shows.com/Hawaiian Express Records) and his co-host (Josh86, a popular musician and entrepreneur).