12/28/2022 0 Comments Classic snake tattoo![]() ![]() This was only one of his achievements, though. In this way, Norman Collins pioneered the American classical tattoo designs. Before long, Sailor Jerry’s tattoos were known the world over. This was a turning point for American tattoo art: thousands of soldiers on shore leave in Honolulu began frequenting Sailor Jerry’s studio. As it happens, Sailor Jerry’s tattoo studio was in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor. Then, in the 1940s, World War II brought thousands of American soldiers into the area. This style is what we’d come to know as old school tattoos. By the 1930s, Sailor Jerry had left the Navy and began working as a tattoo artist in Hawaii. He was the first Westerner to learn from Chinese and Japanese tattoo artists, which helped him develop his own signature style. While in the service, Sailor Jerry traveled to China and Japan, where he developed a passion for traditional Asian art. Classic snake tattoo how to#In 1927, Collins met Gib ‘Tatts’ Thomas, another legendary tattoo artist, who taught him how to use a tattoo machine. Back in those days, tattoos were nowhere near as popular in America as they are today. Initially, he’d create tattoos with only black ink, drawing them freehand using a needle. This is when his passion for tattoos started. By the time he was a teenager, Collins had taken up travelling the country on freight trains. Norman Collins – soon to be known as Sailor Jerry – was born in 1911 in Reno, Nevada. Sailor Jerry – the father of old school tattoos And that story starts with the tattoo legend, Norman Collins – better known as Sailor Jerry. Not many people are aware that these simplistic designs have a fascinating story to tell. We’ll look at these staples of old school tattoos in more detail in the next section. In terms of American traditional tattoo designs, some were more popular than others – partly because they held specific meanings for sailors.Įxamples of traditional tattoo art include swallows, stars, pin ups, daggers, anchors, sharks, and Hawaiian motifs, among others. Many people believe that for a traditional American tattoo to appear genuine today, you should stick to only these colors. Later on, artists began using purple ink as well. In addition to black, the palette originally included only three other colors: red, yellow, and green. Importantly, there was little to no shading – the fill was mostly solid. They were relatively simple designs, using color and a bold black outline. What we now call ‘old school tattoos’, or classical tattoo designs, started to appear in the early 1900s and reached their heyday in the 1930s and 40s. ![]() So what are American traditional tattoos? wouldn’t open until as late as 1870.īut the tattoos sailors received in Polynesia and other remote areas of the world were different than what we now describe as old school tattoos.įor example, most Polynesian tattoos were tribal patterns similar to the ones that the natives wore. In this manner, for Europeans and later Americans, tattoos became the domain of sailors: only sailors reached areas such as Polynesia, where it was easy to get a tattoo. The earliest evidence concerns the crew of the British captain James Cook.ĭuring their voyages in the Pacific, sailors would get tattooed by the local communities. It was only in the 1700s that European sailors began getting tattoos. The history of old school American tattoosĪlthough there is evidence that various cultures around the world practiced tattooing for thousands of years, this form of body art took a relatively long time to reach Europe and North America. We’re also sharing some of our favorite designs – both original old school tattoos and more modern designs that they’ve inspired. In this article, we’re going to explore the history and meaning behind old school tattoos. Old school tattoos, or American traditional tattoos, are the foundation of tattoo art in the Western world.įor almost a hundred years now, this style has been among the most popular and fascinating movements.Įven the development of new trends and techniques hasn’t put an end to the reign of the classic American sailor tattoo. ![]()
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