History of Tattoos in America

Tattooing is not just about the visuals and how great it looks. Its history is a great way to appreciate the values and meanings behind tattoos. If you are interested in tattoos, understanding their history must also spark your curiosity. If you want tattoos, Prime tattoo covers interesting and meaningful designs for you. But before that, we recommend you read about the history of American tattoos. This article will be helpful for those who are specifically looking for American tattoo designs. Moreover, knowing its history will make you value the designs even more.

History of tattoos in America

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American tattoos had a prominent presence in the late 19th century. The stigma of tattooing was considered taboo during that time in America. Socialite Ward McAllister also declares it the most vulgar act in the history of fashion. However, some people highly valued the emergence of tattoos in America.

MacAllister may be completely against tattoos, but militaries understand the symbols of tattoos. American Tattoos generally symbolize patriotism and courage. Moreover, people outside of the military also love such tattoos.

The history of tattoos in the United States has a major part in its designs. Most of the tattoo designs we know today come from the logs of sailors and marines. These designs came into existence during the Age of Sail. During this time, soldiers and sailors give each other tattoos as souvenirs. The tattoos were mostly inspired by the experience they had in wars. As a result, they drew tattoos that symbolize patriotism and courage. In conclusion, they would make designs that connect both soldiers and sailors.

The first professional tattoo artist in America is considered Martin Hildebrandt. He was a popular artist at that time and had a studio in New York. As a result, he tattooed soldiers from the Civil War and gave them identification marks. Moreover, it is where the first tattooing machine was also invented (1891). Tattooed New York of New York Historical Society has a history and documentation of 300 years of tattoos.

Martin Hiklderbrandt worked for over 20 years, where he realized the growth of tattoos in America. Noticeably in the Travelling circus where they called Martin to make tattoos for artists. As a result, it catches the attention of the people and, eventually, the tattoo industry. Our team at Prime Tattoo provides tattoo designs from the 18th and 19th centuries.

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The First Electric Tattoo Machine

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Tattoo artists had to go through a lot of effort to make traditional tattoo art. Earlier artists used needles attached to wooden blocks for gripping. They dipped the needle in the ink and stabbed it continues onto the skin. They continue the process until the ink permanently imprints the skin. The artist had to be very specific and needed pinpoint precision. As a result, it was very difficult to perform tattooing as an artist.

An American tattoo artist Samuel O’Reilly from New York, came into the spotlight for his invention. He invented the first electric tattoo machine on December 8, 1891. He was a skillful tattoo artist and a technician, which led to his invention. The machine consists of a motor that provides the motion and a dial that controls the speed. As a result, his tattoo machine started a revolution in the tattoo industry.

In 1891, he made history by revolutionizing the tattoo trade and offering the machine to the public. Moreover, he also offered other tools that made tattooing easier. Tattoos in America have never been the same since then. There was an overnight growth in the popularity of tattoos. In addition, many aspiring artists entered the industry.

The Gus Wagner

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The Gus Wagner: The maritime roots of modern tattoos is available as an exhibition in the South Street Seaport Museum. The museum consists of historical collections of buildings and ships. Among the vast collections, Gus Wagner's tattoos preserve American tattoo history. Moreover, it dives into the roots of modern tattoos and the beginning of tattoos in the United States.

The life of Gus Wagner and other sailors is prevalent in the Maritime Roots of Modern tattoo. Gus Wagner had 800 tattoos on his body and was the most tattooed person in America. In addition, he was the first sailor to figure out the importance of tattoos and the ways to monetize tattoo art.

Traditional practices of American Tattoos

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The roots of American tattoos go back even earlier than the time of Martin Hildebrandt. The tattoo is significant among the indigenous people of the United States. As a result, the idea of getting inked in the body was already widespread.

There is no proper evidence of the start of tattooing in The United States. However, early physical evidence of body ink was discovered from a frozen mummified Inuit. The Inuit is an adult female found on St Lawrence island. Moreover, scientists have also figured out that the Inuit is from the 16th century.

In the recent past, the mount Q excavation site found materials that are from pre-colonized times. As a result, this discovery is able to highlight the importance of tattooing among indigenous people.

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Explorers in North America have interesting anecdotes about indigenous people. During those times, there was no word for tattooing. As a result, they call it pounce, mark, stamp, paint, etc.  In the 16th century, indigenous people colored their skin. English colonial governor John White represents the visuals for tattooed indigenous people. Their tattoo designs were different and can be seen more in the indigenous chiefs.

In the 18th century, Joseph Francois Lafitau recorded the practices of the indigenous people. He discovered that the indigenous people use tattoos to heal a toothache. They figured out the nerves of the Jawline and how tattooing on it can numb the signals.

The indigenous people of St Lawrence Iroquoians used bones as the needle for tattooing. In particular, turkey bone is popular among the tools they use as needles. In the present day, we experience such traditional practices through oral traditions.

Conclusion

The history of American tattoos is vast, and there is tons of information. However, we hope that you get to understand its fundamentals in this article. We have put immense effort into curating this information.  We hope it helps you get a grasp on the beautiful and interesting history of American tattoos.

At Prime tattoo, you get amazing tattoo ideas and informational pieces like this. You can check out the website to learn tattoo history in other countries.

Reference

https://certifiedtattoo.com/blog/history-of-tattoos-in-america-everything-you-need-to-know

https://time.com/4645964/tattoo-history/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tattooing#Traditional_practices

https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/gus-wagner/