Reproduction


Coleman Dragon Limited Edition Giclée Prints - Now in Stock!

We are very excited to announce that we have partnered with owner of this original Coleman Dragon painting to bring you this iconic image presented in a fine art giclée print. For a limited time, all giclée prints will include a free gift of the vivid high resolution color Coleman Poster.
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Spaulding & Rogers Production Flash
Backpiece by Huck Spaulding on Thom DeVita
Early Pat Martynuik Flash

 

 This powerful dragon design was popularized by (and most likely originated from) the legendary Cap Coleman in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a stylized combination of elements from classic Chinese dragons and traditional American tattooing. To our knowledge, this is the earliest existing representation of the iconic Coleman dragon; the painting itself has held up well—both physically and artistically—for close to a century.

Coleman, considered by many to be the father of American tattooing, painted this design in his now-famous style. The image has come to be praised as one of the most representative and recognizable early 20th century tattoo designs. To this day, it holds a special place in the genre’s visual vocabulary alongside time-honored standards like panthers, eagles, daggers, skulls, military insignia, roses, religious ephemera, and pinups. 

The Coleman Dragon has proven its timelessness by being replicated again and again while rarely (if ever) straying from Cap’s original color scheme and layout. Having no doubt been passed down through the tattoo generations from Coleman to the infamous Huck Spaulding and Paul Rogers partnership, this design has made its way onto countless contemporary flash sheets and many widely known and well-documented tattoos – chief among them the powerful and striking backpiece by Spaulding on renowned New York tattoo legend Thom DeVita (as shown above).

Due to its enduring strength and effect on the viewer, the Coleman Dragon will continue to play an important role in the American tattoo lexicon for generations to come. The original form of this image, seen here, should be displayed proudly in any shop and serve as a reminder of the power, beauty, and simplicity of early American tattooing and masters like Cap Coleman. 

 

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Jennifer Brain - British Tattooed Beauty

 

 

Tattooed Beauty, Jennifer Brain, is an elegant example of a 20th Century British tattoo collection. With subject matter ranging from clipper ships to feminine flora and fauna, it's no wonder why she was considered to be so stunning. The majority of her tattoos were done by British tattooer, Stan Davis and the timeless allure of his artistry matched her natural charm. We are currently attempting to find out any other helpful information about her such as contact information, etc. We have heard that she is possibly in her 80s and lives in the U.K., but after much research we have been unable to locate her. If you or anyone you know think you may have any details about this tattooed wonder, we ask that you please send us an email at YellowBeakPress@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

We are excited to be able to share this image with all of you! Straight from the Yellow Beak Press archives, we will be offering a small print run limited to 50 high quality reproductions of the original image. On sale now! You can find it here!

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