What we're making

First, we created posters from the text of your favorite books. Then we added t-shirts to our collection via Kickstarter. Now we’ve introduced temporary tattoos, and we're asking our community to help us celebrate. With their help, we’re seeking to produce the longest tattoo chain in history.

Inspired by Shelley Jackson’s SKIN Project, we’ve broken Lewis Carroll’s beloved tales, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass into 5,258 unique phrases. Each of the first 5,258 backers from our Kickstarter campaign has received a randomly-selected, unique piece of the chain. Photos are now being uploaded to our tattoo app, where we’ll “print” the story in full.

Litographs Tattoos are designed to be realistic, both in terms of their artwork and the way they look once applied. We work with a Hollywood FX studio, which specializes in giving temporary tattoos a permanent look. Artists Benjy Brooke, Tess Clancy, and Dorothy Sanders have created designs that one could easily imagine having permanently inked.

Product Shots

World's longest tattoo chain

Litographs Tattoos

Literary Tattoo Movement

As tattoos of all shapes and sizes have gained prominence, literary tributes have also found homes in ink, gracing bodies of readers worldwide. Books like The Word Made Flesh and its accompanying blog document the wide range of genres and characters that have found permanent places in the hearts and on the skin of their devotees. We’ve seen firsthand how strong the connection between a reader and a book can be, so it’s no surprise to us when someones opts to make this connection permanent.

At the same time, temporary tattoos have also enjoyed a renaissance. The last time you wore one it might have been a flimsy prize out of a vending machine, but they’ve since transitioned to versatile, fashionable accents for children and adults. By stressing the importance of design, companies like Tattly and Dotting Hill have ushered in an age of temporary tattoos that have us wishing they would stay on longer.

Our Mission

Our mission has always been to help readers express their passion for the books they love, and our tattoos are a natural extension of this philosophy.

In addition to creating custom-made products that allow book lovers to get closer to their favorite characters, we see Litographs as a way to share the power of literature at home and abroad. We're committed to promoting literacy all over the globe, and to make a direct impact, we proudly partner with the International Book Bank to send one new, high-quality book to a community in need for each product we sell. Additionally, to enrich the experience of studying great books in American classrooms, we donate thousands of posters to teachers across the country each Fall.

Previous Kickstarter Success

We know full well the power of Kickstarter and its ability to power a campaign with many invested individuals. When we decided to expand our collection to include t-shirts in November 2012, we turned to Kickstarter with our first six designs and came away with a dedicated community that has responded with overwhelming support ever since our first update.

Because of that incredible response, we knew Kickstarter was the place to come back to for our next launch. We’ve hit great milestones with the help of our community before, and we expect this to be another proud chapter in our team’s history.

Key Quotes

“There are books I love so much they feel like a part of myself. Litographs' tattoo project will let us experiment with this compulsion; I don't doubt some people will choose to ink their sentence for real.” – Amanda Bullock, Director of Public Programming for Housing Works Books

“For literature nerds like me, this is probably one of the coolest Kickstarter projects ever assembled. I'm already considering making my tattoo permanent.” – AJ Leon, Author and Entrepreneur

Thank you!