Bristol Tattoo Club – History – 1953 To Present Day
The Bristol Tattoo Club (or ‘BTC’ for short) was the brainchild of Les Skuse, Champion Tattoo Artist of All Great Britain.
LES HAD THE original idea in 1951, but it wasn’t until 1953 that the Club was formally started. Les wanted to heighten the awareness of the good in tattooing, in the process getting away from the general misconception that only ‘bad people’ or armed forces wore tattoos.
Les wanted to heighten the awareness of the good in tattooing, in the process getting away from the general misconception that only ‘bad people’ or armed forces wore tattoos. Les wanted the BTC to promote and set a higher standard of tattooing (of which he did more in later years with the British Guild of Professional Tattoo Artists.
Les wanted not only tattoo artists (not that there were many in those days), but tattoo fans alike to show off their bodies and wear their inkwork with pride. He envisaged a meeting where artists and customers could meet, mingle, make new friends and share stories and methods.
