Tatoos

Nikko tatoos 3

2007-09-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Amazing tatoos.

Nikko tatoos 2.

2007-09-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Again, cannot believe it is tatoo!

Nikko tatoo 1

2007-09-24T19:49:00.001-07:00

Have you ever seen such a sculpture-like tatoo design? It is really amazing how the artist used the shadow and color.

History of tatoos 7.

2007-09-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

In the late 1960s, the attitude towards tatooing changed. Much credit can be given to Lyle Tuttle. He is a handsome, charming, interesting and knows how to use the media. He tatooed celebrities, particularly women. Magazines and television went to Lyle to get information about this ancient art form.

Toady, tatooing is making a strong comeback. It is more popular and accepted than it has ever been. All classes of people seek the best tatoo artists. This rise in popularity has placed tattoists in the category of "fine artist". The tatooist has garnered a respect not seen for over 100 years. Current artists combine the tr5adition of tatooing with their personal style creating unique and phenomenal body art. With the addition of new inks, tatooing has certainly reached a new plateau.

History of tatoos 6

2007-09-24T09:31:00.001-07:00

After world war II, tatoos became further denigrated by their associations with Marlon Brando type bikers and Juvenile delinquents. tatooing had little respect in American culture. Then, in 1961 there was an outbreak of hepatitis and tatooing was sent reeling on its heels.

Though most tatoo shops had sterilization machines, few used them. Newspapers reported stories of blood poisoning, hepatitis, and other diseases. The general population held tatoo parlors in disrepute. At first, the New York City government gave the tatoos an opportunity to form an association and self- regulate, but tatooists are independent and they were not able to organize themselves. A health code violation went into effect and the tatoo shops at Times Square and Coney Island were shut down. For a time, it was difficult to get a tatoo in New York. It was illegal and tatoos had a terrible reputation. Few people wanted a tatoo. The better shops moved to Philadelphia and New Jersey where it was still legal.

History of tatoo 5.

2007-09-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

While tatooing was declining in popularity across the country, in Chatham Square in flourished. Husbands tatooed their wives with examples of their best work. They played the role of walking advertisements for their husbands' work. At this time, cosmetic tatooing became popular, blush for cheeks, coloured lips, and eyeliner. With world war I, the flash art images changed to those of bravery and wartime icons.

In the 1920s, with prohibition and then the depression, Chathma Square lost its appeal. The center for tatoo art moved to Coney Island. Across the country, tatooists opened shops in areas that would support them, namely cities with military bases close by, particularly naval bases. tatoos were know as travel markers. You could tell where a person had been by their tatoos.

History of tatoo 4

2007-09-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

By the turn of the century, tatooing had lost a great deal of credibility. tatooists worked the sleazier sections of town. Heavily tatooed people traveled with circuses and "freak Shows." Betty Brodbent traveled with Ringling Brothers Circus in the 1930s and was a star attraction for years.

The cultural view of tatooing was so poor for most of the century that tatooing 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. tatoo suppliers rarely advertised their products. One had to learn through the scuttlebutt where to go and who to see for quality tatoos.

The birthplace of the American style tatoo was Chatham Square in New York City. At the turn of the century it was a seaport and entertainment center attracting working-class people with money. Samuel O'Riely cam from Boston and set up shop there. He took on an apprentice named Charlie Wagner. After O'Reily's death in 1908, Wagner opened a supply business with Lew Alberts. Alberts had trained as a wallpaper designer and he transferred those skills to the design of tatoos. He is noted for redesigning a large portion of early tatoo flash art.

History of tatoo 3

2007-09-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

In the late 1700s, Captain Cook made several trips to the South Pacific. The people of London welcomed his stories and were anxious to see the art and artifacts he brought back. Returning form one of this trips, he brought a heavily tatooed Polynesian named Omai. He was a sensation in London. Soon, the upper- class were getting small tatoos in discreet places. For a short time tatooing became a fad.

What kept tatooing from becoming more widespread was its slow and painstaking procedure. Each puncture of the skin was done by hand the ink was applied. In 1891, Samuel O'Rtiely patented the first electric tatooing machine. It was based on Edison's electric pen which punctured paper with a needle point. The basic design with moving coils, a tube and a needle bar, are the components of today's tatoo gun. The electric tatoo machine allowed anyone to obtain a reasonably priced, and readily available tatoo. As the average person could easily get a tatoo, the upper classes turned away from it.

History of tatoo 2

2007-09-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

In the west, early Britons used tatoos in ceremonies. The Danes, Norse, and Saxons tatooed family crests (a tradition still practiced today). In 787 AD, Pope Hadrian banned tatooing. It still thrived in Britain until the Norman Invasion of 1066. The Normans disdained tatooing. It disappeared from Western culture from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

While tatooing diminished in the west, it thrived in Japan. At first, tatoos were used to mark criminals. First offenses were marked with a line across the forehead. A second crime was marked by adding an arch. A third offense was marked by another line. Together these marks formed the Japanese character for "dog". It appears this was the original "Three strikes your out" law. In time, the Japanese escalated the tatoo to an aesthetic art form. The Japanese body suit originated around 1700 as a reaction to strict laws concerning conspicuous consumption. Only royalty were allowed to wear ornate clothing. As a result of this, the middle class adorned themselves with elaborate full body tatoos. A highly tatooed person wearing only a loin cloth was considered well dressed, but only in the privacy of their own home.

William Dampher is responsible for re-introducing tatooing to the west. He was a sailor and explorer who traveled the South Seas. In 1691 he brought to London a heavily tatooed Polynesian named Prince Giolo, Known as the Painted Prince. He was put on exhibition , a money making attraction, and became the rage of London. It had been 600 years since tatoos had been seen in Europe and it would be another 100 years before tatooing would make it mark in the West.

History of Tatoo 1.

2007-09-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

It is arguably claimed that tatooing has existed since 12,000 years BC. The purpose of tatooing has varies from culture to culture and its place on the time line. But there are commonalties that prevail form the earliest known tatoos to those being done on college students on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley.

tatoos have always had an important role in ritual and tradition. In Borneo, women tatooed their symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. If a woman wore a symbol indicating she was a skilled weaver, her status as prime marriageable material was increased. tatoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness. Throughout history tatoos have signified membership in a clan or society. Even today groups like the Hells Angels tatoo their particular group symbol. TV and movies have used the idea of a tatoo indication membership in a secret society numerous times. It has been believed that the wearer of an image calls the spirit of that image. The ferocity of a tiger would belong to the tatooed person. That tradition holds true today shown by the proliferation of images of tigers, snakes, and bird of prey.

In recorded history, the earliest tatoos can be found in Egypt during the time of the construction of the great pyramids (It undoubtedly started much earlier). When the Egyptians expanded their empire, the art of tatooing spread as well. The civilizations of Crete, Greece, Persia, and Arabia picked up and expanded the art form. Around 2000 BC tatooing spread to China.

The Greeks used tatooing for communication among spies. Markings identified the spies and showed their rank. Romans marked criminals and slaves. This practice is still carried on today. The Ainu people of western Asia used tatooing to show social status. Girls coming of age were marked to announce their place in society, as were the married women. The Ainu are noted for introducing tatoos to Japan where it developed into a religious and ceremonial rite. In Borneo, women were the tatooists. It was a cultural tradition. They produced designs indicating the owners station in life and the tribe he belonged to. Kayan women had delicate arm tatoos which looked like lacy gloves. Dayak warriors who had "taken a head" had tatoos on their hands. The tatoos garnered respect and assured the owners status for life. Polynesians developed tatoos to mark tribal communities, families, and rank. They brought their art to New Zealand and developed a facial style of tatooing called Moko which is still being used today. There is evidence that the Mayan, Incas, and Aztecs used tatooing in the rituals. Even the isolated tribes in Alaska practiced tatooing, their style indicating it was learned from the Ainu.