Thom DeVita started tattooing when the city of New York City banned tattooing in 1961. He said that business would be good since his competition was driven out of town. Working underground, Thom influenced a whole generation of tattooists including the likes of Mike Malone and Ed Hardy. The DeVita piece seen here is from the 1980s; a classic sailing ship stencil rub on tracing paper with waves and colored pencil background. It is rubber stamped “Gotham Tattoo” and signed on the bottom right corner.
12 x 17 inches
