American Traditional Tattoos Essay

The Past, Present, and Future of American Traditional Tattoos A robust, youthful gentleman waves a stoic goodbye to his lover as he embarks on the USS Midway navy ship. Attired in snowy sailor clothes, a pin-up tattoo peeks out of his sleeve as the cobalt, crisp ocean waves slap against the ship’s flanks. This is the origin of the American Traditional pin-up tattoo, an illustration depicting a flirtatious woman with bright red lips often found wearing flimsy lingerie. The pin-up tattoo is the most noticeable subgenera of the American Traditional style, sporting bold basic colors and a thick black outline. For sailors who would be on the sea for months at a time, pin-up tattoos would provide a quiet consolation of the women they had left behind at home. The first operating tattoo machine was created in 1891 by New York’s own Samuel O’Reilly. Also known as a rotary machine, it was a modern take on Thomas Alva Edison’s electric pen. Siphoning ink through a conduit, Samuel O’Reilly’s invention revolutionized the precision of tattooing. However, it is imperative to be aware that tattoo culture has been present in human civilization for an innumerable amount of years. To get a better idea, in 1991, European …show more content…
In the Book of Leviticus it states, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD” (The Hebrew Bible, Leviticus 19:28). Respectable humans in society, such as Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Popes have never been seen with ink. The question arises whether or not tattoos will ever be accepted by society. But with recent advancements, such as the legalization of gay marriage in all 50 states, it seems more possible than ever. With minds far more open than just fifty years ago, it is reasonable to say that tattoos may become a ‘norm’ in society, and perhaps in another fifty years, the United States’ First Lady will have a pin-up peeking out of her sleeve as