Dietzel: A Retrospective

One hundred years ago, Amund Dietzel (1891-1974), of Kristiania, Norway, arrived in Milwaukee with a knowledge of tattooing he picked up on a merchant shop. Deciding to make the city his home, he opened up a tattoo parlor that attracted tattoo collectors far beyond Milwaukee. Sailors and marines during two world wars came to see Dietzel before leaving for battle, choosing powerful designs from his handpainted flash that hung on the shop's walls.
 

Dietzel "helped define the look of the traditional or old school tattoo," the Milwaukee Art Museum wrote of their "Tattoo: Flash Art of Amund Dietzel" exhibition, which ran from July to October.

That wonderful archive of Dietzel's painted flash, stencils and drawings, from the collection of Jon Reiter, will be exhibited at Great Lakes Tattoo in Chicago, from November 29th to January 5th.

During the November 29th opening, not only can you view Americana tattoo history, but also have a piece of it tattooed on you, as artists will be offering tattoos from Dietzel's flash sheets from 12 to 10 PM that day. The opening party, with food & drink, runs from 5 to 8 PM.
Proceeds from the tattoos, as well as beautiful limited edition prints (shown below) and shirts, will go towards the hefty medical expenses Jon incurred from an ICU stay.

For more on Amund Dietzel's life, pick up Jon's fantastic books, These Old Blue Arms: The Life & Work of Amund Dietzel, Volumes 1 & 2.