The Archive They Said Didm't Exist

Discover the history of the pink triangle — from Nazi persecution to queer resistance — and how it became a powerful symbol in tattoo culture.

Snake tattoos have long symbolized both sin and liberation. From Eve’s punishment for questioning authority to queer erotic codes linking snakes to penises and roses to buttholes, discover how this tattoo became a feminist and queer emblem of survival and power

Mary Dean represents the countless women who worked, often quietly, behind the scenes of tattooing. She reminds us that female tattoo history isn’t just about the flashiest names—it’s about the women who ran businesses, built communities, and kept tattooing alive when the odds were stacked against them. Her Houston shop is part of a broader lineage that connects early female tattooers like Maud Wagner, Jessie Knight, and Cindy Ray to today’s generation of women and queer art