by Carolina Carvalho

History

• Traced back to 3300 BCE on Ötzi the Iceman
  • Copper Age – tattoos used as medicine to treat and reduce pain
• 2000 B.C. – female Egyptian mummies had dot-and-dash tattoos on their bodies
• Ancient Romans – branded criminals and the condemned with tattoos
  • Late, Roman soldiers wore tattoos as badges of honour
• 11^th and 12^th centuries – warriors in the Crusades had the Jerusalem cross tattooed so they could be identified and receive a Christian burial
• 18^th century – Tahitian girls tattooed their buttocks black when they reached the age of sexual maturity
  • Hawaiians tattooed their tongues with three dots when in mourning
  • In Borneo, natives tattooed an eye on the palm of their hand to be spiritually guided to the next life
  • The Maori men in New Zealand tattoo their faces with spirals. Women are only tattooed on their chin, lips, and forehead
• 1820s – Europeans traded guns for the tattooed heads of Maori warriors
• Japan – commoners and merchants weren’t allowed to wear ornate kimonos seen on the royals and elite, so they wore tattooed body suits
  • Body suit tattoos cover the torso, extend to the elbows and above the knee
  • Tattoos banned in 1870, so artists went underground where the art flourished
• 1891 – Samuel O’Reilly creates a patent for the first electric tattoo machine

Symbolism

• Yakuza – Japanese gangster class
  • Wore tattoo body suits
  • Tattoos represented an unresolved conflict and included symbols to represent character traits
  • Lion means courage
• Japanese tattooing practiced for beautification, magic, and to mark criminals

Tattooing Methods

• 18^th century Tahiti – island practitioners used a razor-edged shell attached to the end of a stick
• Late 19^th and 20^th century – Samuel O’Reilly’s patent used a hollow needle filled with permanent ink

The Body as a Text/ Canvas – Storytelling

• 19^th and 20^th century – World War II veterans got tattoos to commemorate victories
• Jews held in Nazi concentration camps had identification numbers forcibly tattooed
• Sailors and soldiers got tattoos to note their travels
  • If you achieve the rank of chief or cross the Atlantic, you get an anchor
• Tattoos can be declarations of love or used to honour loved ones
  • The popular “mom” heart tattoo

 Traditional Style Tattoos

• American style popularized by Sailor Jerry
• Feature little to no colour and bold black outlines
• The start of “Flash” designs in early 20^th century
  • Artist displayed pre-drawn designs in portfolios for clients to choose from
• Popular traditional tattoos: pin-up girls, hearts, anchors, roses

Criminal/Prison Style Tattoos

• Criminal tattoos identify gang membership
• To keep a record of the criminal’s achievements
  • Number of kills
  • Specialties
  • Accomplishments
  • Incarceration
• Popular criminal tattoo: the teardrop tattoo under the eye to indicate whether the wearer has killed someone or attempted to
• Prison tattoos are done illegally
  • Popularized by Russian prison tattoos
• Used as a means of communication among inmates
  • Leads to the forming of gangs
  • White supremacists in prison will likely all have swastika tattoos
• Popular prison tattoo: spider web on the elbow to indicate the length of the sentence served

Modern Style Tattoos

• Examples of modern styles: stick and poke, neo-traditional, surrealism, and blackwork
• Social media platforms like Instagram used by modern artists to increase their customer pool
• Advertising – Artists promote their own work and bring customers into sho