Inking Well

Stories that aim to capture, catalogue and celebrate Chicago’s tattoo art.

The tackle football team shut down in 2017 but lives on in a tattoo that the former quarterback says represents all that the city gave her.
Reactions to tattoo ink are rare, but a team of researchers found some of the dozens of inks they tested contained chemicals or pigments that could cause allergic or other health-related reactions. Make sure to work with a trained artist who follows good hygiene, a chemistry expert cautions.