This may be the first kind of tattoo you think of, an old-school style defined by bold outlines and the use of similar colors and imagery. They’re closely tied to the ocean and nautical imagery, pinup female figures, fierce predatory animals, or combinations of hearts, roses, and daggers. The tattoo style was popularised by Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins in the 1930s, but is a consistent choice today.
Traditional tattoos, also known as American, Western, or Old School are characterized by its clean black outlines, vivid colors, and minimal shading. These are fundamental to traditional style and make it one of the most bold and iconic tattoo styles there is.
Bold black lines that etch out the image of a wing spreading eagle, a rose encrusted anchor, or ship at sea…these are only some images that may come to mind when Traditional tattooing comes to mind. Part art movement, part social phenomena, the United States has created a style of ink that is all its own. Truly an important facet of American culture, we expound upon the history, designs and artists of this famed tattoo aesthetic.
While many sources will state that the findings of Captain Cook and his crew helped spread tattooing to the western world, tattoo historian Anna Felicity Friedman has researched the historical accuracy of this and supports another idea. She states, “A look at texts from before the mid-eighteenth century demonstrates that many authors, explorers, scientists, etc. were well familiar with the practice of permanently marking the body with a substance embedded underneath the skin. For example, one of Cook’s contemporaries, explorer Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu, writing about the Marquesan tattooing he saw in 1791, noted the similarities to and contrasts with the European tattooing that he said was not only common but of great antiquity: ‘We should be wrong to suppose the tattooing is peculiar to nations half-savage; we see it practised by civilised Europeans; from time immemorial, the sailors of the Mediterranean, the Catalans, French, Italians, and Maltese, have known this custom, and the means of drawing on their skin, indelible figures of crucifixes, Madonas or of writing on it their own name and that of their mistress.’’ Even earlier than de Fleurieu’s description came the prints of John Simon who depicted Native Americans with full body tattoos. As the official New York City guide described, “Titled The Four Indian Kings, the set of images portrays three members of the Mohawk tribe and one Mahican tribesman before they traveled from New York to England to meet with Queen Anne.”
Traditional tattooing, as the case with all other styles of tattooing, has a foundation in the history of many cultures, and many countries. But, perhaps, there are a few reasons why Traditional Americana flourished so much. It’s true that sailors and soldiers were some of the main aficionados; their consistent travel to new lands guaranteed cross-cultural experience with new styles and ideas. America has been involved in major wars, most notably since the American Revolution in 1775. Martin Hildebrandt, said to have opened the first New York City tattoo parlour in 1846, also stated that he had tattooed soldiers of both sides in the American Civil War. Part of the tradition of service men getting tattoos was not only to carry symbols of protection and reminders of their loved one, but to also mark their body for identification if their lives were lost in war.
The added support of modern Traditional tattooing, is the invention by Samuel O’Rielly, the electric tattoo machine, which helped revolutionise the industry in 1891. Sam took Thomas Edison’s electric pen, and modified it to create the forerunner of the machines now used the world over. By 1905, a man named Lew Alberts, known as Lew the Jew, was selling the first commercial tattoo flash sheets. With the invention of the tattooing machine, business had been growing for tattooists, and the demand for new designs and more ideas became imminent. This helped spread the iconography and specific style of Traditional tattooing across the states, and soon there was unified aesthetic of Traditional Americana. It is also worth mentioning that in the early 1880’s many “tattooed” performers worked in conjunction with the travelling circus, such as Nora Hildebrandt, Captain George Costentenus, and John Rutherford. Many of these performers had tall tales about their personal histories, but it did bring tattoos to a new crowd quite literally.
