Horst Streckenbach “Tattoo Samy” (August 5, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was a well-known
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
tattoo artist
A tattoo artist (also tattooer or tattooist) is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a "tattoo shop", "tattoo studio" or "tattoo parlour". Tattoo artists usually learn their craft via an ...
and historian of the medium, who had been tattooing since 1946. Streckenbach is considered important in the development of tattooing in Germany. With
Manfred Kohrs
Manfred Kohrs (born 24 January 1957) is a German tattooist and conceptual artist, who has been tattooing since 1974. He was a student of Horst Streckenbach ("Tattoo Samy") (5 August 1926 – 27 June 2001). Together they developed the barbell p ...
from
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
in Germany from 1974 to 1978 he developed a rotary tattoo machine and in 1975 the
barbell
A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end.
Barbells range in length from to above , alth ...
.
Biographical and career information
Streckenbach was born in 1925 and grew up in Weißwasser, Schlesien, Germany. He got his first tattoo at the age of ten. In 1946, he began tattooing professionally. In 1959 he opened his own studio in
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative seat.
Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...
and in 1964 he moved to
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, this studio was open for nearly 40 years. Samy tattooed several notable musicians, artists and celebrities of the time.
Over the years Samy went to the United States a number of times and frequently to Los Angeles to visit
Jim Ward. On one of his first visits, he showed Ward the barbell studs that he used in some piercings. They were internally threaded, a feature that made so much sense that Ward immediately set out to recreate them for his own customers.
On the first National Convention at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver, Colorado from 23–25 March 1979 Tattoo Samy made a slide presentation of tattooed people. The speakers on the convention were: Terry Wrigley, Peter Tat 2 Poulos, Diane Poulos, Don
Ed Hardy
Don Ed Hardy (born 1945) is an American tattoo artist known for his tattoos, strong influence on the development of modern tattoo styles, and his eponymous apparel and accessories brand.
Early life
Hardy was born on January 5, 1945, in Des Moi ...
, Bob Shaw (who even back then spoke about the importance of using Autoclaves and keeping you and your place clean), Big Walt Kilkucki, Painless Jeff Baker, Dave Yurkew, and Arnold Rubin & Jan Stussy.
Streckenbach, Kohrs and Terry Wrigley (1932–1999) -President of E.T.A.A-, present 17–19 October 1980 at Frankfurt the first "Tattoo
Convention" in Germany. Samy appeared in ''
PFIQ
''PFIQ'' (''Piercing Fans International Quarterly'') was a magazine published by Jim Ward from 1977 to 1997. It was the first publication about body piercing. Ward pioneered the field of body piercing and operated The Gauntlet, which was the firs ...
'' (the first publication about body piercing) in issues #18 (1983) and #19 as the magazine’s first documented tongue piercing.
Innovations
Streckenbach and Kohrs pioneered many jewelry designs including the fixed bead ring and internally threaded barbells. Samy introduced
Jim Ward to barbell style jewelry.
"The first barbells I recall came from Germany. Doug had made contact with Tattoo Samy, a tattooist and piercer from Frankfurt. Over the years Samy came to the States a number of times and frequently showed up in LA to visit Doug. On one of his first visits he showed us the barbell studs that he used in some piercings. They were internally threaded, a feature that made so much sense that I immediately set out to recreate them for my own customers."
Jim Ward
Phil Andros
Samuel Morris Steward (July 23, 1909 – December 31, 1993), also known as Phil Andros, Phil Sparrow, and many other pseudonyms, was a poet, novelist, and university professor who left the world of academia to become a tattoo artist and p ...
: "A German tattoist named Horst Streckenbach invented a radically different tattoo pen, with each instrument containing its own small motor was attached an irregular camwheel that furnished the up and down movement."
Art
In 1981, the German
conceptual art
Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...
ist Timm Ulrichs had THE END tattooed on his right eyelid by Streckenbach. The tattoo, which can only be read when the eye is closed, recalls the final credits of a film, the last performance and the final moment. This tattoo event was also documented on film, created in the context of the video of the same name which juxtaposes 60 final images.
rockandroad.de Ausstellung: Gestochen scharf
(german)
Selected bibliography
* Samuel M. Steward: ''Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos.'' Routledge London & New York 1990, .
* Margot Mifflin: ''Bodies of Subversion.'' powerHouse Books 2013, .
* Caroline Rosenthal, Dirk Vanderbeke: ''Probing the Skin: Cultural Representations of Our Contact Zone.'' Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2015, .
* Marcel Feige: ''Das Tattoo-und Piercing Lexikon.'' Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf 2000, .
** Tattoo Sammy appeared in PFIQ
''PFIQ'' (''Piercing Fans International Quarterly'') was a magazine published by Jim Ward from 1977 to 1997. It was the first publication about body piercing. Ward pioneered the field of body piercing and operated The Gauntlet, which was the firs ...
#18 (1983) and #19 as the magazine’s first documented tongue piercing.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Streckenbach, Horst
1925 births
German tattoo artists
Body piercers
2001 deaths