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Eddie & Ester Evans
“Sailor” Eddie and his wife, Ester Evans were east coast tattooists who operated shops in Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ. When they were at #839 Race Street in Philadelphia they were billed as “Phila. Most Modern Tattoo Studio, Bright Colors & Modern Designs.”
In the early 1960s Paul Rogers went to work for Sailor Eddie on Broadway in Camden, NJ. Through the years they worked at least two different locations on Broadway, #441 & #612.
The Evan’s were from the Coleman school of tattooing with a big, bold and colorful style of tattooing. Mike Malone remembers when he first saw Sailor Eddie tattooing, “One day when I was living in New York trying to make a living doing photography. I was shooting on assignment on St. Mark’s Place and looked up and saw Thom deVita sitting on a stoop with this huge dragon down the side of his leg. It was an old Coleman pattern done by Paul Rogers and Eddie Evans when they worked together in Camden and it was incredible. The lines were all sure of themselves and the color was nice and solid and brilliant. It was a complete turnaround for me-wait a minute, drop everything-tattoos can be good.”
Tattoo Archive © 2008
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