Exactly 124 years ago Southend welcomed its first professional tattoo artist who set up shop in the town, eager to put his ink stamp on the bodies of men, women and possibly sometimes even children.

Hamid Rahmanian (Iranian, born 1968), Kay Kavous and the Flying Throne [detail], from Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings, 2015, digital print on metallic paper, 13 x 19 inches. Collection of ...