Bill Salmon and Hollis Fletcher (Patreon)

Whenever the subject of Ed Hardy comes up, I find myself ready to pounce; so much as a snide comment about the t-shirts, ball caps, and sparkly ephemera produced via the Christian Audigier collaboration and I launch into a tirade that ends with me proclaiming that Hardy is the most significant American folk artist of the 20th Century and a long winded rundown of his career, accomplishments, and overall impact on how the world gets tattooed. 

His most prolific years- time spent traveling back and forth between Hawaii and San Francisco - produced some of the most iconic body suits in the history of modern tattooing. This photo, from the SF years, features tattooer Bill Salmon (left) and Hardy client Hollis Fletcher, 1980s.