Written by Lewis Carroll and published in 1865, Alice in Wonderland continues to capture the imaginations of young and old. Thanks to this enduring legacy many people have chosen to get Alice in Wonderland tattoos.

The story follows the adventures of young Alice who is drowsily lazing on the river bank with her sister, when she follows a talking White Rabbit down a rabbit hole into a fantastic world of bizarre creatures, strange customs and profound nonsense.

Carroll’s clever use of language and his ability to utilize illogic as a story telling device has made Alice in Wonderland popular among adults, while the illustrations and playful language allowed children to enjoy the story as well.

Analysis of Alice in Wonderland has reached scholarly levels thanks to Carroll’s fascinating incorporation of mathematic principles, powerful symbolism and linguistic gymnastics; academics continue to theorize on the story’s true meaning and the significance behind the multitude of characters.

These Alice in Wonderland tattoos are just a taste of what is possible with such a fascinating story as inspiration.

1. Absolem Tattoo Images

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One of the most instantly recognizable characters in Alice in Wonderland, the Caterpillar-known as Absolem in Tim Burton’s 2010 retelling of the story-is a popular choice for Wonderland tattoo designs. Sat on a mushroom and smoking a hookah, the Caterpillar is a character that perfectly captures the bizarre themes in Alice in Wonderland: it is the Caterpillar that offers Alice two slices of his mushroom without telling her what will happen when she eats them.

These associations with mushrooms led to psychedelic Caterpillar poster designs that could be found hanging in record stores and headshops around the country and this mind-expanding aesthetic can be found in some of these tattoos as well. Other tattoos in this collection use a black line approach that is more reminiscent of the woodblock lithographs that accompanied the original story.