The Scandinavian Strongman- Rasmus Nielsen. (Patreon)

The majority of photos that make up the archives that we share here on Sacred (and our tattoo history project Occult Vibrations) come from storage bins in my closet(s). Images that have been with me for almost thirty years- photos I've taken, photos that were willed to us for preservation, given to us, traded, etc, but from time to time- thanks in part to the support you good folks give us- we're able to add "new" images to our physical archives that often come with (increasingly) high price tags. 

Before I deactivated my Facebook account (give it a try!) I was a member of several history/archival groups and the sentiment in most was overwhelmingly keep it secret, keep it safe, with members bragging about images they had that they'll never share publicly. Not out of a sense of discretion, which is a situation I've found myself in from time to time, but more the ethos of some things don't belong to some people. 

That's something I wrestle with myself, having earlier this week gone off on two separate tirades on how the MODCON books should have never existed because some things don't belong to some people, but... I dunno. I find a lot of satisfaction out of folks seeing a photo of someone who was pushing body art/modification at a time when it wasn't a marketable commodity to anyone other than the person wearing it. Folks like Rasmus Nielsen- the Scandinavian Strongman- weren't getting tattooed, getting pierced, and stretching the piercings as part of an 'industry' because he was his own industry, putting his body on display for anyone with the dime to see it and then blowing their minds further by hanging weights from his pierced nipples, tongue, and septum. 

While there were a lot of touring tattooed man acts in the early part of the 20th century, Rasmus holds a special place in my heart because of his connection with my mentor Jack Yount, who'd seen Rasmus at the circus in the 1930s and inspired him to pierce and later stretch his own nipples. Without Jack- there would have been no BME/Extrem, Modcon, Scar Wars, Sacred Debris, Occult Vibrations, or Nodal Points, so documenting that connection between he and Rasmus is especially important to me.

Any time I come across photos of him for sale I try to pick them up, and the first thing I do is scan them and put them online for other history nerds to geek out over. Like this one- Rasmus seemingly has his nipple and Madison jewelry out, but his proto CBRs are present in his ears.

More on Rasmus Nielsen:
The Tattoo Archive.
The Human Marvels.