The earliest record of tattooing was discovered in a
sailor's log from his days of ship travel in the early nineteenth
century. This early tattooing was known as "Pricking" and was
practiced among many sailors from that time period. The sailors began to
experiment with tattooing when they discovered Native Americans that
were tattooed and became intrigued with the art. Tattooist quickly
learned the art of the needle and dyes and set up shops near ship ports.
Sailors could receive tattoos at a rather high price at these parlors.
Many sailors received tattoos of symbols inspired by the spirit of the
times such as: an anchor, crucifix, lady, lion and an eagle. Many of the
symbols represented religious, patriotic, courage, defiance of death as
well as nautical themes.
Tattooing became more common after the electric tattooing implement was
developed in 1891. Electric tattooing offered faster procedures and more
detailed artwork. Although, this caused tattooing to become more easily
available, it gained much more momentum in the post war era. During the
1940's and 1950's "time marking" tattoos became very popular.
The most popular war tattoo among war veterans was known as the "pledge"
tattoo. The pledge tattoo consisted of their unit, military division and
an American eagle. These tattoos represented the dedication of the
soldiers. These tattoos helped to mainstream this art form. People began
to respect the symbolism and personal importance of this growing form of
permanent self expression.
Society's image of the tattooed person began to transform and its
popularity grew to new heights. Not only did the impression change but
so did the most popular designs. After the war the most popular symbols
were: feathers, animals, landscapes, portraits of loved ones and famous
Hollywood stars. The picture of Clint Eastwood with a cigar became one
of the most popular Hollywood portraits. Famous people also began to
publicly display tattoos which helped to popularize the art in the
media's eyes. Throughout the 1960's and 1970's hippies displayed their
ideals and beliefs through the ever-growing tattoo art form. Many
hippies exposed anti-war and peace thematic tattoos.
It has become very evident that society has become much more open mined
about body art such as tattooing. People are now exposed to many
different lifestyle for which tattooing is a part. Tattooing takes on a
different meaning for each individual. People get tattoos to mark a
point in time of their life, to show how devout to their faith or
religion, for the experience, decoration, to remember a loved one or for
the fashion. This form of art has traveled a long way and it will
continue to evolve into an even more respected from of art and
expression.
