Joseph Patrick O'Sullivan (March 3, 1944 – July 2, 2022), known professionally as Spider Webb after the character from the 1937 serial film Tim Tyler's Luck,[1] was an American tattoo artist.[1][2]
Spider Webb | |
|---|---|
 O'Sullivan in 1978 | |
| Born | Joseph Patrick O'Sullivan[1] March 3, 1944 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 2, 2022 (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Tattoo artist |
Biography
editHe was born in The Bronx, New York, the son of Tecla Baranowicz and David O'Sullivan.[1] At the age of fourteen, O'Sullivan had visited a tattoo artist in Coney Island, New York for which he got his first tattoo on his arm.[1][3] He learned about tattooing for which he had pursuit.[1] O'Sullivan served in the United States Navy from 1962 to 1966.[1] He also attended the School of Visual Arts, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1970.[1] He then emigrated to Mexico to attend Instituto Allende, where he earned his master's degree.[1]
O'Sullivan served as a tattoo artist in Mount Vernon, New York for which he had established a tattoo parlor store.[3] In 1976, O'Sullivan was a part of a protest of tattooing being banned by New York for which according to the Courier-Post, he had shown his work somewhere near the Museum of Modern Art.[4] He had stated that "Tattooing is perfectly safe".[1] In 1978, O'Sullivan was arrested for tattooing without a license.[1] In 1981, he had shown his work again from 1976 for which pornographic actress and sex educator Annie Sprinkle had taken part in what he was doing.[1] O'Sullivan had a legal case about his tattooing work for which New York had let go of the prohibity.[1] He was also an author of two books.[1]
O'Sullivan died in July 2022 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his home in Asheville, North Carolina, at the age of 78.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Genzlinger, Neil (July 12, 2022). "Spider Webb, Tattoo Artist With a Defiant Streak, Dies at 78". The New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ "Tattooists really get under your skin". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. October 13, 1978. p. 115. Retrieved July 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Taylor, Angela (March 25, 1974). "For a Growing Number of Women, It's a Form of Permanent Jewelry". The New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ "Police web the spider man –– his tattooing is illegal". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. August 5, 1976. p. 38. Retrieved July 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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