Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia

Prison storytelling, subcultural anthropology, and the allure of darkness.

In the 1970’s, while American hippies were busy inking themselves with peace signs and psychedelic rainbows, Danzig Baldayev, a guard at St. Petersburg’s notorious Kresty Prison, began documenting the far less Woodstockian body art of Russia’s most infamous criminals.

For 33 years, Baldayev used his exclusive access to and rapport with the prisoners to hand-illustrate and capture in artful photographs more than 3,600 inmate tattoos — as admirable a feat artistically as it was sociologically.

In 2003, when he was in his late 70’s, Baldayev began releasing his magnificent archive as a series of books revealing a rich and eerie intersection of art and violence.

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volumes I, II and III offer not only a visceral record of this intersection, but also Baldayev’s aambitious effort to, through text and illustrations, parse the meaning of these tattoos and place them in the context of this fiercely self-contained subculture. (Or, as it were, institution-contained as well.)

Perhaps even more striking than the body art itself is how Baldayev was able to talk some of Russia’s most dangerous convicts into posing for such intimate and often vulnerable portraits.

For a related glimpse of this darkly enigmatic world, the excellent Oscar-nominated 2007 film Eastern Promises about the Russian mob in London, starring Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen, offers an intriguing look at tattoos as storytelling, a narrative through which prisoners told their life stories and conveyed their credos.

Thanks, Greg

Each of the volumes is an absolute masterpiece and a fascinating slice of (sub)cultural anthropology. It’s the kind of thing that adds instant conversation potential to any home library or coffee table, and guaranteed you’re-cooler-than-my-other-friends gifting recognition.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 at 5:30 am in art, culture, film, just weird and was tagged art, books, cool, culture, history, weird.

[Book Shelf] Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia – show meaning of tattoos and placed in context. http://bit.ly/bG77pe

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

semblance_er on April 21st, 2010 at 6:45 am

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://bit.ly/cTZDay (By the way, do u subscribe to @brainpicker’s blog yet? You’re missing out if not)

LenKendall on April 20th, 2010 at 11:59 pm

For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious priosners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

brainpicker on April 21st, 2010 at 8:31 am

Those are some grizzly/evil looking tats! RT @brainpicker: 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

juliaxgulia on April 21st, 2010 at 8:34 am

Prison Ink RT @brainpicker: For 33 ys Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russias most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

pjchetty on April 21st, 2010 at 8:35 am

@Pengawas For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious priosners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

_r13 on April 21st, 2010 at 8:36 am

RT @brainpicker: 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi (via @juliaxgulia)

nealunger on April 21st, 2010 at 1:36 am

RT @brainpicker: For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious priosners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

JayarLaFontaine on April 21st, 2010 at 8:40 am

brewster_d on April 21st, 2010 at 8:40 am

eyade on April 21st, 2010 at 8:41 am

[DESiGN] Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia Vols. 1-3, you say? Thx @brainpicker › http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

kimmyh on April 21st, 2010 at 8:41 am

RT For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious priosners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi (via @brainpicker)

JulissaNeely on April 21st, 2010 at 8:48 am

RT @brainpicker For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious priosners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

JohnathonV on April 21st, 2010 at 1:53 am

erisb on April 21st, 2010 at 9:04 am

I got ths book 4 bday a few yrs back. RT @brainpicker: Baldayev doc’d ovr 3600 tats on Russia’s mst notorious priosners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

SilvanaMondo on April 21st, 2010 at 9:07 am

dlwdillon on April 21st, 2010 at 2:08 am

Wow. RT @brainpicker: For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious priosners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

dragonf1y on April 21st, 2010 at 9:27 am

For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russian prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi #fb (via @JohnathonV @brainpicker)

bluelimemedia on April 21st, 2010 at 2:30 am

RT @semblance_er: [Book Shelf] Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia – show meaning of tattoos and placed in context. http://bit.ly/bG77pe

BrettonPutter on April 21st, 2010 at 2:38 am

newantarctica on April 21st, 2010 at 3:58 am

squidskin on April 21st, 2010 at 4:40 am

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://bit.ly/bxNhyS

tatikmd on April 21st, 2010 at 6:29 am

If you missed it ? For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

brainpicker on April 21st, 2010 at 2:17 pm

For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

siobhandowling on April 21st, 2010 at 2:23 pm

Extraordinary RT @siobhandowling: For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

sarahbrowngb on April 21st, 2010 at 2:29 pm

RT @brainpicker: For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

WeBlogtheWorld on April 21st, 2010 at 2:29 pm

RT @sarahbrowngb: Extraordinary RT @siobhandowling: For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

ChrispLOL on April 21st, 2010 at 2:30 pm

RT @brainpicker: If you missed it ? For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

nicolesantina on April 21st, 2010 at 2:31 pm

RT @siobhandowling: For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

denisfitz on April 21st, 2010 at 7:34 am

rafaeleminero on April 21st, 2010 at 7:42 am

This is an amazing encyclopedia of the sophisticated tattooing system among Russian criminals in the 70s http://bit.ly/bedZjl

perryhewitt on April 21st, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Anti-Social Media!?!RT @perryhewitt: Amazing encyclopedia of the sophisticated 70’s tattoo system of Russian criminals http://bit.ly/bedZjl

DeanLand on April 21st, 2010 at 8:09 am

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia | Brain Pickings http://bit.ly/bZjTJQ

NowEntertaiment on April 21st, 2010 at 9:07 am

RT @brainpicker If you missed it ? For 33 years, Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi

estheraldehyde on April 21st, 2010 at 4:55 pm

For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi RT @brainpicker

tatorandtots on April 21st, 2010 at 9:56 am

? For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi (via @brainpicker)

Peter_in_la on April 21st, 2010 at 10:27 am

RT @brainpicker Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://is.gd/bC5h3

onnder on April 21st, 2010 at 6:22 pm

????????tattoo????!?dope! RT @onnder @brainpicker Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://is.gd/bC5h3

Drew3KW on April 21st, 2010 at 11:27 am

Cadeia ink. Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia. http://tinyurl.com/29ftlmu.

LucianoMendes on April 21st, 2010 at 12:18 pm

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://su.pr/7Q5AIi via @brainpicker [My good friend Polly Gannon translated vols II & III]

coffee_punk on April 21st, 2010 at 1:48 pm

russian prison culture inked for life- http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/04/21/russian-criminal-tattoo-encyclopedia/

AnshumaniKhanna on April 21st, 2010 at 5:03 pm

JM_Kara on April 21st, 2010 at 6:05 pm

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia: http://goo.gl/LwqI

RethaFerguson on April 21st, 2010 at 7:40 pm

An amazing encyclopedia of the sophisticated tattooing system among Russian criminals in the 70s http://bit.ly/bedZjl (via @perryhewitt)

pshoemaker on April 22nd, 2010 at 12:31 am

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/04/21/russian-criminal-tattoo-encyclopedia/

flipfresh on April 22nd, 2010 at 11:44 am

For 33 years, Danzig Baldayev documented over 3,600 tattoos on Russia’s most notorious prisoners http://su.pr/7Q5AIi (via @siobhandowling)

arianemondo on April 22nd, 2010 at 4:54 am

RT @inaghita: Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia – Prison storytelling and subcultural anthropology http://ow.ly/1BiaO

freshcuts on April 22nd, 2010 at 8:57 am

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia. For 33 years Danzig Baldayev documented 3,600 tattoos on most notorious priosners http://bit.ly/bNuNer

tsevis on April 22nd, 2010 at 4:00 pm

Russian Criminal Tattoos http://bit.ly/bNuNer via @tsevis

carlos_g_m on April 22nd, 2010 at 5:51 pm

Filed under ‘Things You Won’t Find on Wikipedia’: Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia via @brainpickings http://bit.ly/9YpqJM

paradisetossed on April 23rd, 2010 at 5:56 am

chauhan_ashish on April 23rd, 2010 at 8:17 am

http://bit.ly/9GvocQ et c’est pas le petit tribal dans le bas du dos

coopercobra on April 23rd, 2010 at 1:53 am

“Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia | Brain Pickings” ( http://bit.ly/dm9K6N )

adi4streetcore on April 24th, 2010 at 12:56 am

[...] Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia – Maria Popova provides us with an in-depth look at “prison storytelling, subcultural anthropology, and the allure of darkness.” [...]

What’s up this week?: Tips for Mobile Marketing to Kids, NYMag shows love to NYC Tech Scene, Foursquare makes History (Channel) and more! - Ben Tannenbaum on April 24th, 2010 at 10:32 am

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia | Brain Pickings http://bit.ly/90Rf01 (via @brainpicker)

julietapracana on April 24th, 2010 at 6:26 am

missed this first time round. great post RT @brainpicker Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://is.gd/bC5h3

The6thMyth on April 25th, 2010 at 3:41 am

Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://bit.ly/9xuasp // http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2nPKhLSx04&feature=player_embedded

misstutsirocks on April 26th, 2010 at 6:25 am

Ridiculously interesting encyclopedia on the tattoos of the Russian criminal world: http://bit.ly/cEM5kg

timyull on April 26th, 2010 at 7:53 am

Crim majors there IS a way to identify criminals – Russian Criminal Tattoo – http://ow.ly/1Dq1c

katherinequan on April 26th, 2010 at 5:44 pm

Russian Criminal Tattoos: Prison storytelling, subcultural anthropology, and the allure of darkness.
http://bit.ly/9xuasp

Caroline_Hagood on April 26th, 2010 at 1:53 pm

yolanda01 on April 28th, 2010 at 2:19 am

um, am totally obsessed with one day owning these books on russian criminal tattoos http://bit.ly/bxNhyS

lightsoutthingy on April 29th, 2010 at 1:07 am

The Real Eastern Promises: Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia http://bit.ly/bG77pe

jaeri on May 6th, 2010 at 7:29 pm

[...] Il video è quello che è ma contiene una buona carrellata di immagini. L’enciclopedia originale, pubblicata da Fuel Publishing in tre volumi, è in vendita su Amazon.— Via [...]

Tatuaggi criminali russi | Personal Report on July 15th, 2010 at 7:22 am