The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian ‘tatu’ which means ‘to mark something’.
Tattooing has existed since 12,000 BC. The purpose of tattooing varies from culture to culture and its place on the time line. Some of today’s tattoos bear resemblance to the ancient tattoos.
Tattoos have always had a ritualistic and traditional role. In Borneo, women tattooed their symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. If a woman’s symbol indicated that they were skilled in weaving, her status as prime marriageable material was increased. Tattoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness. Tattoos have signified membership in a clan or society all throughout history. Some groups today, like Hells Angels, that tattoo their particular group symbol. Tattoos are also portrayed as symbols of membership in TV and movies. Tattoos are also gang-related. It is believed that the wearer of an image calls the spirit of that image. If a person had a tiger tattoo, then the ferocity of the tiger belongs to them. The same thing can be said for birds, snakes, and other animal tattoos today.
According to history, it was the early Egyptians that invented tattooing during the time of the construction of the great pyramids, although it probably started much earlier. When the Egyptians expanded their empire, the art of tattooing spread as well. Crete, Greek, Persian and Arabic civilizations picked up and expanded the art form. Tattooing spread to China around 2000 BC.
The Greeks used tattooing for communication among spies. These markings identified the spies and also showed their rank. Romans tattooed criminals and slaves. This practice is still carried on today. Tattooing was used by the Ainu people of Western Asia to show their social status. Girls coming of age were marked to announce their place in society, as were married women. The Ainu are noted for introducing tattoos Japan. The Japanese then developed it into a religious and ceremonial rite. In Borneo, the women were the tattooists. This was a cultural tradition. They produced designs indicating the owners station in life and the tribe they belonged to. Kayan women had delicate arms tattoos which looked like lacy gloves. Dayak warriors who had ‘taken a head’ had tattoos on their hands. Their tattoos garnered them respect and assured the owners status for life. Polynesians developed tattoos to mark tribal communities, families, and rank. The Polynesians brought their art to New Zealand and developed a facial style of tattooing called Moko, which is still being used today. Evidence shows that the Mayan, Incas, and Aztecs used tattooing in their rituals. Even isolated Alaskan tribes practiced tattooing, their style indicating it was learned from the Ainu.
In the west, early Britons used tattoos in ceremonies. The Danes, Norse, and Saxons tattooed family crests, and still do this today. Tattooing was banned by Pope Hadrian in 787 AD. It still thrived in Britain until the Norman Invasion of 1066. The Normans disdained tattooing. It disappeared from Western culture from the 12th to the 16th centuries.
While tattooing diminished in the west, it thrived in Japan. At first it was used to mark criminals. First offenses were marked with a line across the forehead. A second crime was marked by adding an arch, and a third crime was marked by another line. Together these marks formed the Japanese character of ‘dog’. It appears this was the original ‘Three strikes, you’re out’ law. The Japanese escalated the tattoo to an art form over time. The Japanese body suit originated around 1700 as a reaction to strict laws concerning conspicuous consumption. Only royalty were allowed to wear ornate clothing. This resulted in the middle class adorning themselves with elaborate full body tattoos. A highly tattooed person wearing only loin cloth was considered well dressed, but only in the privacy of their own home.
William Dampher re-introduced tattooing to the west when he brought a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Prince Giolo to London in 1691. Giolo was known as The Painted Prince. He was put on exhibition and became the rage of London. It had been 600 years since tattoos had been seen in Europe and it would be another 100 years before tattooing would make its mark in the West.
Captain Cook made several trips to the South Pacific in the late 1700s. the people of London welcomed his stories and were anxious to see the art and artefacts he brought back. Upon return from one of his trips, he brought a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Omai. He became the sensation of London, much like Prince Giolo. The upper-class soon began getting small tattoos in discreet places. For a short time tattooing became a fad.
The widespread of tattooing was very slow, as it had a slow procedure. Everything was done by hand. The first electric tattooing machine was invented by Samuel O’Reily in 1891. He based its design on Edison’s electric pen which puncture paper with a needle point. The design consisted of moving coils, a tube and a needle bar. These are also the components of tattooing guns that are used today. The tattooing machine allowed anyone to obtain a reasonably priced, and readily available tattoo. As the average person could easily get a tattoo, the upper classes turned away from it.
Tattooing had lost a great deal of credibility by the turn of the century. Tattooists worked the sleazier sections of town. Heavily tattooed people travelled with circuses and ‘freak shows’. Betty Brodbent travelled with the Ringling Brothers Circus in the 1930s and was a star attraction for years.
Cultural viewing of tattoos was so poor for most of the century that tattooing went underground. Few were accepted into the secret society of artists and there were no schools to study the craft. There were no magazines or associations. Tattoo suppliers rarely advertised their products. One had to learn through the scuttlebutt where to go and who to see for quality tattoos.
American style tattoos were born in Chatham Square in New York City. At the turn of the century it was a seaport and entertainment centre. It attracted working-class people with money. Samuel O’Reily came from Boston and set up shop there. He hired an apprentice named Charlie Wagner, who opened up a supply store with Lew Alberts after O’Reily died in 1908. Alberts was trained as a wallpaper designer and he transferred those skills to the design of tattoos. He is noted for redesigning a large portion of early tattoo flash art.
Tattooing flourished in Chatham Square, while it declined in other parts of the country. Husbands tattooed their wives with examples of their best work. They played the role of walking advertisements for their husbands’ work. Cosmetic tattooing became popular at this time. Women had their blush, coloured lips, and eyeliner tattooed on. With the First World War, the flash images changed to those of bravery and wartime icons.
In the 1920s, with prohibition and then the depression, Chatham Square lost its appeal. The centre for tattoo art moved to Coney Island. Tattooists opened up shops across the country in areas that would support them, namely cities with military bases close by, particularly naval bases. Tattoos became known as travel markers because you could tell where a person had been by their tattoos.
Although most tattoo parlours had sterilization machines, few used them. People contracted blood poisoning and hepatitis from the dirty equipment. This was reported by newspapers almost on a daily basis. The general population held tattoo parlours in disrepute. At first, the New York Government gave the tattooists an opportunity to for an association and self-regulate, but the tattooists could not organise themselves as they were independent. A health code violation went into effect and the parlours in Times Square and Coney Island were shut down. For a time, it was difficult to get a tattoo in New York.
Tattooing became illegal in New York and tattoos had a terrible reputation. Few people wanted a tattoo. The better shops moved to Philadelphia and New Jersey where it was still legal.
The attitude towards tattooing changed in the late 1960s. much credit can be given to Lyle Tuttle. He is handsome, charming, interesting and knows how to use the media. He tattooed celebrities, particularly female celebrities. Magazines and television went to him to get information about this ancient art form.
Tattooing is making a strong comeback today. It is more popular and widely accepted today than it ever was. Tattooing is now considered a ‘fine arts’. Tattooists respected in a way that hasn’t been seen for over 100 years. Current tattoo artists combine the tradition of tattooing with their own style, creating unique and phenomenal body art. New inks have also been added as well.