In fact, the skin has been pinned in this manner as part of the #preservation process. As the skin dries, it shrinks, causing it to wrinkle and warp. This can be avoided by pinning out the skin whilst it's still soft and pliable, thus retaining a smooth, undistorted surface once fully dried. Some shrinkage will nevertheless occur around the pins, resulting in a characteristic 'frilling' along the outer edges of the skin; this effect can also be all seen in the so-called wound above.

Examining the tear more closely, it appears very straight and smooth-edged, suggesting that the cut was made with a sharp implement, such as a blade. The pinholes and the absence of any signs of healing indicate that this 'wound' was either sustained not long before death, or that the skin was damaged #postmortem.

Tears and damage to the skin are not uncommon in the collection - there are many examples in which the tattoos are not preserved in their entirety. Particularly in the case of soldiers, who may have suffered extensive - and fatal - injuries, it is easy to imagine that the collection of intact #tattoos would often have been impossible.

#preservedtattoos #preservedtattooedskin #tattoo #humanremains #archivestories #museumsbehindthescenes #fromthestoragearchives #curatorquirks