Russian Criminal Tattoo: Police Files Volume I

Hardback

Main Details

Title Russian Criminal Tattoo: Police Files Volume I
Authors and Contributors      Contributions by Arkady Bronnikov
By (author) FUEL
Edited by Damon Murray
By (author) Stephen Sorrell
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:256
Dimensions(mm): Height 200,Width 120
Category/GenreBody art and tattooing
ISBN/Barcode 9780956896292
ClassificationsDewey:391.650869270947
Audience
General
Illustrations 180 Illustrations, black and white

Publishing Details

Publisher FUEL Publishing
Imprint FUEL Publishing
Publication Date 29 February 2016
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This book features over 180 photographs and accompanying texts of Russian criminal tattoos from the Arkady Bronnikov collection. From the mid-1960s to the late - 1980s Bronnikov worked as a senior expert in criminalistics at the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, part of his duties involved visiting correctional institutions of the Ural and Siberia regions. It was here that he interviewed, gathered information and took photographs of convicts and their tattoos, building one of the most comprehensive archives of this phenomenon. He regularly helped to solve criminal cases across Russia by using his collection of tattoos to identify culprits and corpses. The Bronnikov collection was made exclusively for police use, to further the understanding of the language of these tattoos and to act as an aid in the identification and apprehension of criminals in the field. Unimpeded by artistry, these vernacular photographs present a guileless representation of criminal society. Every image discloses evidence of an inmate's character: aggressive, vulnerable, melancholic, conceited. Their bodies display an unofficial history, told not just through tattoos, but also in scars and missing digits. Closer inspection only confirms our inability to comprehend the unimaginable lives of this previously unacknowledged caste.