Did you know Winston Churchill’s mother had a tattoo?

A sepia-toned black and white head-and-shoulders photograph of Lady Randolph "Jennie" Churchill, who probably didn't have a tattoo at all.
Lady Randolph “Jennie” Churchill, who probably didn’t have a tattoo at all.

Most news about Selfridges‘ new tattoo parlour mentioned the fact that Winston Churchill’s mother had a snake tattoo on her wrist, even The Guardian’s cheeky Pass Notes and the FT’s front page story. I’m assuming the Churchill snippet was in the ‘notes to editors’ at the end of the press release. Don’t let anyone tell you PR doesn’t work. And is this the end for tattooing as outlaw art?