Martin Hildebrandt was an early American tattoo artist, nicknamed "Old Martin".
10 Facts About Martin Hildebrandt
1.
2.
Martin Hildebrandt enlisted in the United States Navy and served aboard the USS United States from 1846 to 1849, where he learned tattooing from another sailor.
3.
Martin Hildebrandt traveled from camp to camp tattooing other soldiers and sailors.
4.
Martin Hildebrandt opened a tattoo parlor in a tavern on Oak Street in Manhattan, New York City, in 1870 or 1872.
5.
Martin Hildebrandt tattooed a wide range of people, including mechanics, farmers, and ladies and gentlemen.
6.
Martin Hildebrandt's work was in black and red, using India ink and vermilion.
7.
Martin Hildebrandt may have mentored Samuel O'Reilly, who opened another tattoo shop in New York City in the 1880s and patented the first electric tattoo machine in 1891.
8.
In 1882, Martin Hildebrandt tattooed Nora Martin Hildebrandt, one of the first "tattooed ladies" to perform in the US.
9.
Martin Hildebrandt was often presented as his daughter, but she was actually his common-law wife.
10.
In 1885, after Nora had left to go on tour, Martin Hildebrandt was arrested for disorderly conduct and transferred to the New York City Asylum for the Insane.