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MAIN
Art
& Culture Body
Art Tattoos
Traditional
Tattoos
Although
the current celebrity
tattoo craze has brought tribal
and Japanese
designs to the modern forefront, there still remains a
loyal following for the timeless retro tat.
Those
who grew up in the popular culture still feel an affection
for the traditional designs they've seen growing up : hearts
& roses, crosses & other religious symbols, skull
& crossbones - even vintage 1940's pin-up girls and cartoon
characters - are resurging in popularity as a way to just
have fun and buck the current trend in tattoo fashions.
A Brief
History of the Tattoo in America

For
the perfect
"tattaugraph" 1891
The
Tattooist
Norman Rockwell, 1944

Skull
& dagger,
circa 1950's
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Although
tattooing can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt
and China, (and onward toward Polynesia
and Japan)
the modern trend toward mainstream tattoos in the Western
world all began with a simple invention in 1891.
That's
the year New York Bowery resident Samuel O'Riley came up with
the idea for an electric tattoo machine featuring a pen gun
with an ink reservoir. The result was faster, and more affordable
"tattaugraphs."
Hearts
& Roses, Mom & more...
Business
boomed, and later Coney Island became the center of the tattoo
universe in America spreading nationwide.
In the
20th century, World War I saw the rise in popularity of American
flag, eagles and other patriotic tattoo symbols and icons.
Later, tattoo parlors began to gravitate toward military bases
as the country entered World War II. The now traditional rose
& banner inscribed with a sweetheart's name, the pretty
pin-up girl, sailing ships, or the simple inscription "Mom"
became widely popular.
Also popular
were particular place names, which helped soldiers or sailors
chronicle the various towns through which they travelled or
saw military action.
Tat
Taboos
By the
1950's, the practice fell out of favor as tattoos came to
be considered the mark of street or motorcylce gangs, punk
hoodlums and juvenile deliquents,
Tattooing
fell into even further disrepute by the 1960's as a sudden
hepatitis outbreak forced mass closings of tattoo studios
(in New York, tattoos became illegal) and scared many away
from even considering a tattoo. The tabloids quickly blaired
banner headlines broadcasting the horrors of blood poisoning
and other diseases associated with "tattoo dens."
Everything
Old is New Again
However,
as health codes became more stringent and laws were relaxed,
a turnaround in the late 60's was helped along by tattoo artist
Lyle
Tuttle, who is now generally credited for almost single-handedly
reversing the trend. And the rest, as they say, is tattoo
history - as rock icons such as Janis
Joplin and fashion trend-setters such as Cher
became famous Tuttle clients paving the way for the current
mania for celebrity tattoos.
Today,
the tattoo craze has come full circle as retro tattoo designs
have once again gained favor with the "anti-cool"
crowd, perhaps making the classic tattoo in effect, cooler
than cool...
For more,
check out additional facts, information, and trivia surrounding
traditional tattoo design on the Web, including symbols and
meanings, tattoos inspired by classical or religious artwork,
as well as historical & entertaining tattoo tales and
featured picture galleries :
TattooNow.com
- Traditional Tattoos - Great picture gallery collection
of retro tattoo studio work in traditional styles including
skulls, roses, crosses, dragons, sailing ships, sharks, pin-up
girls, and more. Keep clicking...
Traditional
Tattoos - tribe.net - The New York tattoo community
with visitor-submitted photos and postings of their traditional
favorites based on classical art work or symbols - including
Japanese & Tibetan designs, snakes, medusas and related
images.
Tatto
Art - Traditional - Several photo galleries on view
at Tattoo Artists.org.with classic and traditional skull,
rose, cross, "Mom", pin-up girl, and related tattoos
from featured artists, with related community forum postings
Traditional
American Tattoos - MySpace page featuring stories,
commentary & pictures of traditional skulls, sailing ships,
stars, snakes and more.
Religious
Tattoos - Check out an extensive picture gallery of
crosses, sacred hearts, praying hands and more at this community
devoted to relgious tattoo images, history, related links.
Rose
Tattoos - Body Art - Feature story from BellaOnline.com
with facts & history on the rose as a popular symbol and
tattoo design, with short descriptions of rose colors and
their meanings, related links & suggested reading.
Wiz
Tattoos - Images in Flowers - Images depicting roses,
lillies, sunflower, lotus flower, iris and more floral designs
from the Maine USA tattoo studio.
A
Whirlwind Tour of Tattoo History - Review & brief
chapter excepts from Tattoo History: A Source Book
and described as "of interest to everyone with a serious
case of tattoo mania."
Tattoo
Archive - An extensive record of the art form told
in words & images including an A-Z glossary detailing
famous tatooists & tattoo events through the ages, including
a comprehensive list of related links.
also
see -> Butterfly
Tattoos | Celebrity
Tattoos | Celtic
Tattoos
Dragon
Tattoos | Japanese
Designs | Traditional
Tattoos
Tribal
Tattoos
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