This is one of a lot of three original tattoo parlor hand-drawn flash art boards from the Chicago area. Two examples were retained privately with this one being offered for sale. They originated in the Chicago suburbs and were most likely from a tattoo parlor within proximity of the Great Lakes Naval Training Station or Fort Sheridan Army Training Center which were major centers of military activity during WWII. Tattoo parlors traditionally would hang sample artwork on the walls of their parlor with listed prices for military personnel to get their personalized tattoo. One of the boards had a tattoo dated 1940, so these would all be in that same era. Most of the examples on this board have the original prices and have been crossed out, but you can still see that the most expensive tattoo which was the large sailing ship was $24, the medium size tattoos were $6 and the smalls were $4.50. Each piece of artwork on this original board was hand done in color and would replicate a sample tattoo which could be changed and redesigned to fit the customers desire. Most have a war theme which was quite popular with new recruits joining up for service. This would have hung on the wall of the parlor until new designs replaced old ones or the parlor went defunct. They were of little value at the time and the majority of these were thrown out making surviving boards extremely rare, even more so for the large scale tattoos. The art of tattooing and the artist themselves have become synonymous today with style and fashion, and the original drawings are framed and used as artwork much like a famous oil painting. This early large board consists of ten examples of the artist's renderings. The largest measures 6 - 1/2" x 6 - 3/4" and illustrates a clipper ship. Five others have naval themes, two have skull themes and two have unilateral military themes such as "Death Before Dishonor". The board itself measures 14" tall x 20" in length. There has been no attempt to clean off any damage. You can plainly see that the artist used recycled boards to display his works. The corners are chipped where the board was simply tacked to a wall. While some collectors might attempt restoration, the period wear shows the disregard for the piece at time of conception. This is a fantastic opportunity to buy an original 1940 oversize flash art display board. Some collectors might desire to separate these pieces and display or sell individually, but it would greatly destroy the significance of this fine and historical piece. Condition: Dimensions: 23" x 17".