Tattoos are written communication, they convey a message from the wearer, especially tattoos that are visible wearing normal clothing. Sometimes the message is clear, sometimes not, because like writing, there are different "languages" in tattoos. Police and criminologist have long tried to decipher criminal and gang tattoos... even building libraries.
Before cheap cameras and computers, they just saved the tattoos.
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The tattoo collection at the Department of Forensic Medicine at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland consists of 60 objects preserved in formaldehyde, a method devised by one of the experts employed by the Department at the turn of 20th century.
The tattoos were collected from the prisoners of the nearby state penitentiary on Montelupich Street as well as from the deceased on whom autopsies were performed.
The majority of the prison tattoos represent connections between the convicts. Besides gestures and mimics it is a kind of secret code – revealing why 'informative' tattoos appeared on uncovered body parts: face, neck or arms.
The collection was created with a view to deciphering the code – among prisoners known as a 'pattern language'. By looking closely at the prisoners' tattoos, their traits, temper, past, place of residence or the criminal group in which they were involved could be determined.
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I suppose they had checked off "Tattoo Donor" on their driver's licenses.
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