Russian prison tattoos and meanings

Between andduring his career as a prison guard, Danzig Baldaev made over 3, drawings russian prison tattoos and meanings tattoos. They were his gateway into a secret world in which he acted as ethnographer, recording the rituals of a closed society. The icons and tribal languages he documented are artful, distasteful, sexually explicit and provocative, reflecting as they do the lives, status and traditions of the convicts that wore them.

In the era of the Soviet party, Russian prisons were controlled by a gang known as the Thieves in Law. This gang enforced strict guidelines, including what and where prisoners could tattoo on their bodies. Tattoos had to be earned through physical acts or other ways of standing up to authority, whether it was inside or outside of the prison. If the tattoos were undeserved, they would be forcibly removed from the person before they were further punished with beatings or worse. These days, the tattoo guidelines of the Thieves in Law are no longer followed and inmates are creating their own images with varied meaning.

Russian prison tattoos and meanings

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. This is a variation on the myth of Prometheus, who is chained to a rock in eternal punishment after tricking Zeus. The sailing ship means the bearer does not engage in normal work; he is a travelling thief who is prone to escape. Monasteries, churches, cathedrals, the Virgin Mary, saints and angels on the chest or back display a devotion to thievery. Skulls indicate a conviction for murder. Coffins also represent murder; they are burying the victim. Eight-pointed stars on the clavicles denote a high-ranking thief. The dollar sign on the bow tie shows that this man is either a safe-cracker or money launderer. A snake around the neck is a sign of drug addiction. These trousers are the uniform of the strictest type of prison regime in the Soviet Union. They are not subject to parole.

These tattoos, found on various parts of the body, often looked like epaulets.

Throughout history, those shunned by society have sought unity amongst themselves by creating a language of allegiance and ranking through the ink embedded in their skin. Criminals and convicts all over the world have come together to create their own language by tattooing symbols onto themselves as a way to communicate what they have done and show others that they are not afraid or ashamed. There is nowhere else on Earth where that is more true than in the Russian prison system. Every prisoner is marked, every drop of ink holds meaning, and the symbols are a language in and of themselves. Each body tells a unique story of time served and crimes committed. There are typically inmates jammed into a cell, and they have to take turns sleeping due to limited space and bunks.

Russian prison tattoos are a unique form of body art with a long and storied history. However, over time, these tattoos have taken on a life of their own, developing intricate designs and meanings that speak to the experiences and struggles of those who wear them. Russian prison tattoos have been around since the early 20th century, when they were first used as a way for inmates to communicate with one another and assert their dominance within the prison system. These tattoos were often applied with makeshift needles and ink made from cigarette ash or other materials available to prisoners. Over time, these tattoos evolved into a complex system of symbols and designs, each with its own meaning and significance. They became a way for prisoners to display their rank, status, and affiliations within the criminal underworld, as well as their loyalty to various criminal organizations.

Russian prison tattoos and meanings

The ink created and worn in Russian prisons is a mysterious and often intimidating part of the world of tattoos. These tattoos often represent a hostile set of beliefs, a crime, or where the wearer stands in the criminal underworld. However, they can be helpful for prison authorities because they can give vital information. For example, sometimes tattoos are enough to send a person back to prison or even save the life of a man with a badge.

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Their meanings range from what type of crimes the convict committed, to aggression against authority, to sentences served. The sailing ship means the bearer does not engage in normal work; he is a travelling thief who is prone to escape. Loading comments… Trouble loading? They wanted to take the authority out of the hands of those in charge by making a practice that was intended as a punishment into something that they were proud of and chose to do for themselves. Get one of these for no reason and you will be made to regret it. The woman in Nazi uniform means the bearer is antagonistic towards the police. More galleries. Tattoos were used to maintain control of the weaker prisoners through an intricate language of tattoos. It is also used as a talisman of protection against trouble and injuries while in prison, and can indicate that the prisoner started their life of crime at a very early age. He had served time in Perm, Solikamsk, Sverdlovsk and Vorkuta. The death sentence was put to an end in in Russia. In certain cases, a spider who appears to be caught in his web might indicate that the person with the tattoo has a drug addiction. Churches and Cathedrals. Baldaev Ink on paper with wooden battens x mm. Save and Protect.

In the era of the Soviet party, Russian prisons were controlled by a gang known as the Thieves in Law. This gang enforced strict guidelines, including what and where prisoners could tattoo on their bodies.

The barbed wire denotes the length of a single sentence with each barb representing a year served. Medals or Epaulettes. Many people consider the tattoos to be an intricate art form, and they are usually much more detailed than the prison tattoos that are found in other countries, which tend to be much more rudimentary. Show 25 25 50 All. Russian children are also known to become impressed with the tattoos that they see on released prisoners and make their own attempts at tattooing, which usually ends up in a life of crime in their future. Common designs and themes grew over the years, often having different meanings depending on the location of the tattoo. In the s, Russian criminal castes began to emerge, such as the Masti suits and the Vor v Zakone rus. Bottom left: The symbols on the hat worn by the cat signify the bearer of the tattoo is otritsaly — a thief who refuses to submit to, and is a malicious infringer of the prison rules. Save and Protect. It has been studied by many people, with books and documentary films showcasing the mysterious and intriguing life of the Russian prisoner and their tattoos. The image of a ship tattooed on a prisoner usually indicated that he had made an attempt to flee justice before being brought to prison, but it could also mean that the inmate had lived the life of a nomadic thief, travelling to commit his crimes and finding new opportunities to steal from his victims. The branding of criminals was practised in Russia long before tattooing was customary, and was banned in I have always grasped and still grasp my glass with firm and steady hands! Middle left: A lesbian addicts tattoo.