The history of tattooing is a very rich one that extends back in history to our earliest human relatives. It is very difficult to find an example of a culture that did not practice some form of tattooing or other forms of body modification. These paintings are inspired by the early American style of tattooing.

For clarifications sake it should be noted that the indigenous people of the Americas all practiced tattooing. For this reason it maybe a mistake to refer to these designs as early American but so it goes.

Tattooing first made an appearance in America around 1846 during the Civil War. Martin Hilderbrandt had been introduced to the practice while living in Polynesia. He took up practice in America travelling back and forth among both North and South camps. Military insignias were the rage of the day. After the war, Hilderbrandt established the first tattoo parlor in Washington D.C. It was a very popular destination for tourist and even generated some articles in the period magazines and papers. During this time, Hilderbrandt was practicing the traditional method of tattooing. This method involved wrapping needles around the end of a piece of bamboo. The needles were then dipped in ink and tapped into the client’s skin. This was a very time consuming process.

Hilderbrandt was inspired by Thomas Edison’s Autographic Engraving Machine. He decided to try and build a similar machine for tattooing that would allow the artist to work as fast as he could draw. His design went through many changes to become the modern tattoo machine, or gun as it also known.

Samuel O’reilly was an apprentice to Hilderbrandt. O’reilly perfected what we now refer to as “flash”. Flash refers to the drawings that one would encounter on the walls of a tattoo parlor. By 1900 every major city in America had a tattoo parlor. And while the owners may have been competent craftsmen, they may have had no ability for drawing. O’reilly began selling his designs to other parlors for reproduction on there clients.

This contributed greatly to the proliferation of specific motifs. Hearts, roses, snakes, dragons, eagles, ships, naked ladies, and other traditional American images can all be traced back to O’Reilly’s original “flash” designs.
In the beginning seaman were the tattoo artists best customers. The Census board reported that during the Spanish-American war 80% of the enlisted men in The U.S. Navy were tattooed. Many of the designs that seamen chose had great sentimental, patriotic, or religious themes. When surveyed about tattooing, most seamen claimed that superstition played a large part in their selection of designs. A cross on your back would protect you from the whip. A pig on your foot would keep you from drowning. Hold fast spelled out one letter to each knuckle would keep you from falling from the riggings. It has been said that a sailor without a tattoo is like a ship without rum, not seaworthy.

While my original intention was to make paintings based on some of these designs, I have expanded the notion to include the history that I encountered along the way. A trip through this show may inspire you to get some ink of your own. Or at the very least it may shed a little light on Grandpa’s hula girl.

Tattoos