John Hennington of Woronora River, NSW, was said to be the "most tattooed man" in Australia in 1938. And Fred Harris, the tattoo artist who covered Hennington in images from planes to pin-ups, was described by Pix magazine as Sydney's "last tattooist".

Now a collection of 9000 negatives from Pix magazine, including photos from several features on tattoos showcasing Harris' artistry, have been digitised for the first time by the State Library of NSW.

Betty Broadbent was featured in a Pix magazine spread about tattoos in 1938. She was believed to have been be a sideshow artist from the US who visited Australia. Credit:Pix magazine, State Library of NSW

The collection includes photos of Hennington, Harris and tattooed beauties such as American Betty Broadbent, who visited Australia in 1938.

Some issues of Pix are now on display in the library's Amaze Gallery, and a collection of images charting Harris' 28 years in business is on the library's Flickr page.