PRINCE VALLAR

Prince Vallar was born Patrick Henson in Derry, Ireland in 1888.  His mother's name was Henrietta Rozine and his father name was Stephen Henson, a sewing machine mechanic and part-time magician who toured with Buffalo Bill and Houdini under the stage name 'Professor Stephen Vallar'. The name Vallar is said to have come from Stephen Henson's admiration of another entertainer's surname which he adopted for himself. Early life for Prince would find him moving from one location to another due to his father's showbiz career and this colourful upbringing may have brought young Prince Vallar into contact with a great variety of exotic characters and it may have been here that he became interested in the art of tattooing. Many circus and travelling vaudeville acts had tattooed performers in those days and I believe he could have become introduced to the art form during this time. This introduction would eventually lead him from his native Ireland to the city of Glasgow, Scotland.

Prince Vallar 1888 - 1947

 

Little is known about Prince's journey to Glasgow. There was already a strong connection established between the town of Derry and Glasgow due to the frequency of the cattle boats that sailed between these two cities transporting livestock and human cargo. Prince eventually settled in Glasgow and is listed in the 1911 census as lodging in the Cowcaddens district of Glasgow with an Irish family. He listed his occupation as 'Society Tattooist'. This was the fashion of the era as Tattooing had been embraced by members of the Aristocracy and Royalty including George V, King Fredrick of Denmark and various politicians including Winston Churchill.

In 1915 prince had enlisted as a soldier in the 6th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. I have recently viewed his Army records and they state that before enlisting in the Army Prince was 'in a business partnership with his father' at Laurel Grove, Stepps, Glasgow. I have no further details regarding this and there's no written evidence to show that Stephen Vallar had ever indulged in tattooing at anytime. I believe that they both shared a house and that Prince tattooed here for some years before the 1st World War.

Prince's marriage certificate in 1918 stated that he was a private in the Army but his occupation is listed as 'Tattooer'. His address is give as 262 Bath Street, Glasgow which I believe was his first marital home.

In 1935 Prince opened a Tattoo Parlour at 404 Argyle Street, Glasgow and tattooed in this shop for many years up until his death in 1947 aged 59 years. He had a unique style of tattooing that was instantly recognised worldwide. His fine, single needle sketch-like designs with simple colouring were admired and copied by many and were illustrated on the arms and chests of thousands of sailors, soldiers, merchant seamen and travellers from Russia to Hong Kong. He was a freehand artist who drew all his own designs, preferring to hand-draw each individual tattoo straight onto the skin without the aid of transfers. Prince's work is seldom seen on the skin today in Scotland but his legacy was carried on by his sons after his death.

 

 

STEPHEN AND BERT VALLAR

Stephen and Robert Vallar had both learned the art of tattooing from their father. They had worked under their father for approx 10 years before his death in 1949 and had become masters at the art. Stephen, the oldest brother, did not relish a career as a tattooist and left the family business around 1953, leaving Robert (Bert) as the sole proprietor. 

Bert was an excellent tattooist and was, in the opinion of many, the most talented of all the Vallars at tattooing. He executed each design with fantastic detail, combined with his natural artistic ability and perfected the single needle style of tattooing down to an exact science. His work is still evident today on thousands of men throughout Scotland. Although time has taken its toll on these tattoos the quality of the work is still there for all to see. Each design has to be admired for its detail alone and without actually seeing an example in the flesh, the reader will find it hard to see from photographs what all the fuss was about. Throughout his time in Argyle Street Bert had earned a reputation as a great artist and a worthy successor to his father. He also had an enthusiastic interest in photography and this would eventually be introduced to the premises. The front of the shop was used as a display area for photographic equipment and supplies while the back was still used as a tattoo parlour. 

This unusual combination of interests evidently shows a new direction was being sought out by Bert and eventually the photography won his full attention as a career choice.

In 1965 Bert closed the shop and became a picture framer. He had become increasingly disillusioned with tattooing by this time. Glasgow was a rough place to be in the 1950/60's and anyone who has operated their own tattoo shop will tell you that it's not the easiest of jobs to be in at times. 

Around 1985 I spoke with Bert and he expressed his dislike for his time as a tattooist and for the unsavoury characters that were sometimes his custom. He explained that he had only learned his father's trade because it was expected of him in those days. In the end, he had simply had enough and did not even wish to even reminisce about the old days at the tattoo parlour.

Nineteen sixty five marked the end of an era for tattooing in Scotland. Thousands of young men (and some women!) had passed through the doors of the small tattoo parlour at 404 Argyle Street, Glasgow and left with the mark of three of the greatest tattooists in history - Prince Vallar & Sons.

 

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