Born in East Chicago, Indiana in 1932, Cliff Raven was one of the most influential tattoo artists of his time. Great Lakes Tattoo’s own Nick Colella refers to Cliff Raven as a member of The Trilogy (a group that also featured American tattooing legends Ed Hardy and Don Nolan), the winner of the first Tattooer of the Year award at the 1976 Annual International Tattoo Convention, and the founder of Cliff Raven Tattoo Studio (now known as Chicago Tattoo & Piercing Company) - Raven also ran Chicago Tattoo Supply out of the same shop. 

With a Fine Arts degree from Indiana University, Raven was able to use his artistic talents to help tattooing transition from the urban underbelly of the State Street arcade-tattooing era, a time where tattooing was criminalized and being forced to the margins of society, into the prototype for the contemporary tattoo parlors we see today. Even in-house at Great Lakes Tattoo, Raven’s influence is visible; the walls of the shop are covered in flash sheets, vintage and contemporary.

Despite our collective appreciation for Cliff Raven, little of his artwork is featured on the walls of the shop because Raven’s artwork was almost as ephemeral as the artist himself. Raven was prone to drawing designs directly onto his clients using a toothpick dipped in India ink, making the pieces highly detailed and original. The intricate nature of Raven’s work is likely a result of his fine arts training but also adds an element of privacy, even discretion.

“As far as I was concerned I invented tattooing. I had to invent it because nobody showed me how to do it. The [encyclopedia] was of minimal help. I only did one design (on myself)...it was quite small (a butterfly). It was somewhere in my mid-teens..." - Cliff Raven

We honor Cliff Raven all year round, but continue to highlight him in June during Pride month because, in addition to being a local tattoo pioneer, he was openly gay during a time when homosexuality was socially unacceptable and, in some places, outright illegal. Besides tattooing, Raven also has a legacy in Chicago for his social contributions to the local gay scene. Raven stated that he believes he invented tattooing, at least in the modern context. However, he learned the specifics of the trade from another famed Chicago tattooing legend, Phil Sparrow, also a gay man. Cliff met Sparrow through a mutual friend Chuck Renslow. Renslow went on to found the first gay leather bar in the country in 1958, The Gold Coast. 

The relationship between a leather bar and a tattoo artist might seem like a stretch until you consider the context: it’s likely more than a coincidence that gay men were socializing and tattooing together. Even as tattooing was becoming more socially acceptable, being gay was not.  Archival photos of Raven’s work show incredibly large, detailed tattoos on men’s bodies that were placed specifically to avoid visibility one photo that stood out to me was a neo-Japanese dragon that Raven had tattooed across a man’s thigh, around his lower back, and back around his other thigh. A massive piece that could have taken multiple sessions to complete, all in a spot that was only visible when the client was unclothed. 

In the Cliff Raven Travel Book: 1969 - 1970, a handwritten note about Phil Sparrow’s shop reads “...tattooing by appointment only”, a far cry from open-books style tattooing but a gesture that was likely welcomed by clients seeking inclusivity, discretion, comfort, and safety -values that are still important to clients.

Although Raven retired from tattooing in 1985, he continued to tattoo select long-time clients on a case-by-case basis. He largely withdrew from the active world of tattooing and died on November 28, 2001. Even after his death, his legacy in tattooing is undeniable. His identity as a gay man and the relationships that he formed with other gay tattooers have also shaped Chicago’s queer identity. Raven’s former apprentice, Chuck Renslow, also went on to open the Leather Archive and Museum. The museum is still open and they likely have their own archival records of some of the men mentioned in this piece; iconic Chicagoans who should be remembered and honored always, especially during Pride Month.

The above-mentioned Travel Book is released on June 1st. This book is a photo album put together by Cliff Raven to document trips he took in 1969 and 1970 to visit tattooers and tattoo shops, in some cases meeting for the first time people he had only corresponded with by letters. You will see pictures of Zeke Owens, Lyle Tuttle, Don Nolan, and Sailor Jerry. Each page has notes in Cliff's own handwriting about the photos and his trip. The book will retail for $40 (+ shipping for online orders) and is available online and in the shop. The first 100 orders will receive 2 limited edition Cliff Raven inspired enamel pins and 1 GLT Pride Chicagorilla pin.

Additionally, in honor of pride month, $10 from all sales during the month of June will be donated to @wesayyepp A safe space in Chicago for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness to heal from trauma through artistic expression, exploration, story-telling, and performance.