Traditional back tattoo of a woman's face framed by red roses, two swallows and a heart with clasped hands, covering the full back.

Enlarged with AI from a smaller original

Traditional back piece with woman, roses and swallows

Traditional · Back · Colour · Photo

A large back piece centres on a woman's portrait wearing a headband, drop earrings and a bead necklace, flanked by red roses with green leaves. Two swallows sit near the upper shoulders, and a red heart held by clasped hands sits at the base of the design. Bold black outlines and solid colour fills give it a classic flash look, with colour ink dominating across the whole composition.

Traditional Back Woman Portrait Rose Swallow Heart Clasped hands Necklace Headband

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Take it to an artist as a reference. A good artist will make it yours rather than copy someone else's tattoo.

A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Put another log on, Nell, and hush the little ones, because this is the part where the swallows come home. Mrs Tolland kept the lodging house above the fish market on Pelham Steps, and every April the swallows came back under her eaves before the boats had even finished their winter mending. Sailors said a swallow on the wind meant a man would make it ashore, so she kept a bowl of barley water by the window for the birds and a pot of tea for whichever husband came up the steps.

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Two brothers came to her the spring the Marion Ellen went missing off the Skerries, Amos and Jack Venn, both with their pay still owing and both sure the other was the one who would come back. She sat them at the long table, poured them strong tea with the sugar already in, and told them to draw lots for the room with the sea view. Jack drew the short straw and laughed, and Amos laughed too, though he kept his hand on his brother's arm the whole time. They were both gone by the next winter. The swallows came back regardless.

For eleven springs she set two cups on the sill. She never told anyone which of the brothers she was waiting for, and the harbour gossips made a fine meal of it. Then one April morning a single swallow landed on the bread board while she was kneading, and behind it came Amos Venn with his cap in his hands and grey at his temples, carrying nothing but his brother's pocket watch. She took the watch, put the kettle on, and pulled out the second chair.