In the early days of tattooing on the Bowery in New York City, barbers and tattooers often advertised themselves as “Black Eye Specialists.” The phrase didn’t refer to tattooing itself — it meant they offered to remove or cover black eyes using leeches, salves, or makeup, often for dock workers and fighters who couldn’t show up to work bruised.
The sign became an iconic part of that gritty Bowery era, appearing in shop windows — most famously in the studio of Mildred Hull, one of the first female tattooers in New York.
Decades later, when tattooing was banned in New York City from 1961 to 1997, the phrase “Black Eye Specialist”resurfaced as a quiet signal — a subtle way to show where underground tattoo artists could still be found working behind closed doors.
