Here we see the evolution of one of Norman Rockwell’s most fascinating illustrations, The Tattooist.

Rockwell often used photos as reference points for his paintings. For The Tattooist, Rockwell enlisted the help of a neighbor, Clarence Decker, to pose as the photo model for the sailor and artist Mead Schaeffer as the tattooist.

To insure that he was getting the details right, Rockwell obtained a tattoo machine from Al Neville who owned a tattoo parlor on New York City’s Bowery. Neville also served as a consultant on the painting.

The Tattooist appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post’s March 4, 1944 issue.