How have tattoos grown in the United States from a 1920s Navy trend into a relevant form of contemporary art?
Introduction
Tattoos have been present in many cultures across the globe for centuries. Their meanings spanning a range from symbols of high status to the marks used to categorize and identify criminals. Tattoos were brought to the United States in the 1800s by immigrants and American soldiers. Tattoos were already a respected art form in some parts of the world, like Japan, but as they made their way into the United States their respect as art was degraded to a mere trend among societies’ outcasts. Tattoos became unaccepted and were seen as taboo despite having been around for centuries. They were looked down on by mainstream western …show more content…
Artists like August Coleman, Norman Keith Collins, and Lewis Alberts each played a key role in the development of tattoos from a simple trend to a more accepted style among everyday Americans. “Coleman was able to apply high quality work. His work was clear and well shaded. Consequently, his tattoo designs epitomized what came to be known as the classic American-style tattooing that dominated the 1920s to the 1940s” (Forefathers of Tattooing). August “Cap” Coleman’s style of tattooing contributed to the creation of one of the most classic tattoo styles even to this day. his use iconic images, style of shading, and combination of bold colors contributed to the development of more styles and new techniques. Norman Keith Collins, also known as Sailor Jerry, was another tattoo artist who’s unique style greatly influenced American Traditional tattoos. “During World War II, soldiers and sailors took to Sailor Jerry 's location in Honolulu, Hawaii to get inked...Sailor Jerry 's work became a worldwide symbolism of American unity during the otherwise somber times of war” (Profile of Tattoo Artist Sailor Jerry). His style included iconic pin up girls and fonts seen on the windows of most tattoo shops to this day. Lewis Alberts contributed more to the speed of tattooing. he was one of the first tattoo artist to use flash tattoos. “Lew was one of the first creators of flash, the familiar …show more content…
Prior to the industrial revolution, tattoos were done by hand, manually puncturing skin with needles to make designs. This process was extremely painful and time consuming. The creation of the tattoo machine greatly reduced the pain and increased speed. “Tattoo artists worked by hand perforating the skin perhaps three times a second as they installed their designs. O’Reilly’s machine with it’s fifty perforations per second was an enormous improvement in efficiency” (Samuel O’Reilly). Samuel’s invention greatly improved the tattooing process, but the machines were not very reliable. Many improvements were made by one of Coleman’s apprentices, Paul Rogers. “Rogers found much more time to focus on what he wanted to do most: improve existing tattoo machines and design new ones...Rogers spent all his time making unstylish but incredibly dependable machines” (Forefathers of Tattooing). Roger’s improvements to tattoo machines along with his knowledge of old school tattooing were one of the biggest connections between the original trend and more modern art form
Introduction
Tattoos have been present in many cultures across the globe for centuries. Their meanings spanning a range from symbols of high status to the marks used to categorize and identify criminals. Tattoos were brought to the United States in the 1800s by immigrants and American soldiers. Tattoos were already a respected art form in some parts of the world, like Japan, but as they made their way into the United States their respect as art was degraded to a mere trend among societies’ outcasts. Tattoos became unaccepted and were seen as taboo despite having been around for centuries. They were looked down on by mainstream western …show more content…
Artists like August Coleman, Norman Keith Collins, and Lewis Alberts each played a key role in the development of tattoos from a simple trend to a more accepted style among everyday Americans. “Coleman was able to apply high quality work. His work was clear and well shaded. Consequently, his tattoo designs epitomized what came to be known as the classic American-style tattooing that dominated the 1920s to the 1940s” (Forefathers of Tattooing). August “Cap” Coleman’s style of tattooing contributed to the creation of one of the most classic tattoo styles even to this day. his use iconic images, style of shading, and combination of bold colors contributed to the development of more styles and new techniques. Norman Keith Collins, also known as Sailor Jerry, was another tattoo artist who’s unique style greatly influenced American Traditional tattoos. “During World War II, soldiers and sailors took to Sailor Jerry 's location in Honolulu, Hawaii to get inked...Sailor Jerry 's work became a worldwide symbolism of American unity during the otherwise somber times of war” (Profile of Tattoo Artist Sailor Jerry). His style included iconic pin up girls and fonts seen on the windows of most tattoo shops to this day. Lewis Alberts contributed more to the speed of tattooing. he was one of the first tattoo artist to use flash tattoos. “Lew was one of the first creators of flash, the familiar …show more content…
Prior to the industrial revolution, tattoos were done by hand, manually puncturing skin with needles to make designs. This process was extremely painful and time consuming. The creation of the tattoo machine greatly reduced the pain and increased speed. “Tattoo artists worked by hand perforating the skin perhaps three times a second as they installed their designs. O’Reilly’s machine with it’s fifty perforations per second was an enormous improvement in efficiency” (Samuel O’Reilly). Samuel’s invention greatly improved the tattooing process, but the machines were not very reliable. Many improvements were made by one of Coleman’s apprentices, Paul Rogers. “Rogers found much more time to focus on what he wanted to do most: improve existing tattoo machines and design new ones...Rogers spent all his time making unstylish but incredibly dependable machines” (Forefathers of Tattooing). Roger’s improvements to tattoo machines along with his knowledge of old school tattooing were one of the biggest connections between the original trend and more modern art form