Vintage Tattoo Acetates

Celluloid Design Transfers For Tattooing

The introduction of celluloid Acetate stencils

The acetate stencils used by Tattoo artists in the early 19th century replaced one time use paper stencils drawn previously with indelible pencils. The acetate stencil became widely popular among Tattoo Artists due to their longevity and multiple use on clients day after day. Each acetate stencil represented an outline drawing of the Tattoo Flash hanging on the studio wall.

Traditional Tattoo Designs

The traditional tattoo designs found here like eagles, flowers, ships, panthers, hearts, snakes and skulls were etched into these vintage acetates by hand. Part of an old tradition, these pieces of plastic each retain an important part of Tattoo history.

Tattoo Art

With no two stencils being alike, these vintage tattooing stencils are unique, one of a kind, pieces of “Tattoo Art”. Being difficult to etch, many of these Acetate stencils show the years of experience and talent of the tattoo artist who cut them. Like the tattooing artwork made on the skin, these vintage stencils have outlived most of their creators.

Tattoo Studios

Many tattoo studios in the 60`s and 70`s had literally hundreds maybe even thousands of these hand cut celluloid stencils in their shop. No longer true, acetate stencils became a thing of the past after the introduction of the Thermal fax machine.

The Tattoo Archive has an article about Vintage Tattoo Acetate Designs here; https://www.tattooarchive.com/history/stencils.php