Tatty Editorial · Celebrity ink

Cara Delevingne’s first tattoo puts a lion on her index finger

Delevingne revealed the detailed lion-head tattoo in May 2013 and credited New York tattoo artist Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy.

Cara Delevingne · July 24, 2026

An AI-generated ink-and-gouache editorial illustration of an anonymous hand with a lion-head finger tattoo over a lion-patterned textile.

Tattly editorial illustration — AI-generated, no celebrity likeness · Source

What was shown

On May 14, 2013, Cara Delevingne revealed her first tattoo on Instagram: a detailed lion’s face on her right index finger. Her caption thanked New York tattoo artist Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy and Rihanna, whose recommendation had led her to the studio.

In an account of the session published by Nylon, McCurdy recalled that Delevingne first proposed spelling “Lion” down the finger before the idea became the lion portrait. Two years after the session, he told Vogue that the index-finger lion remained his favorite of her tattoos.

Source photo

Cara Delevingne’s hand resting on a lion-patterned textile with a detailed lion-head tattoo on the right index finger
Cara Delevingne’s lion finger tattoo

Cara Delevingne (@caradelevingne) on Instagram, via Teen Vogue · Source

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Tattoo detail

A tight crop of the upright lion face tattoo extending along Cara Delevingne’s right index finger
Detail of Cara Delevingne’s lion finger tattoo

Cara Delevingne (@caradelevingne) on Instagram, via Teen Vogue · Source

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