Thomas Edison, Tattoo Artist? [Past Forward

Abstract

Summary form only given, as follows. On 13 March 1876, Thomas Edison applied for what became U.S. Patent No. 180,857, for an Improvement in Autographic Printing. The “improvement” was an electric pen that worked like a cross between a dentist’s drill and a sewing machine. Powered by two batteries and driven by a motor, it had a needle that made 50 punctures per second to create a perforated stencil. The stencil could then be used in a document duplication system to print up to 5,000 copies. Although the pen failed to find a market, the basic concept of stencil making with electricity directly inspired both the mimeograph and the tattoo.