by A.R. Marth

Created on: March 12, 2007   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

To understand the current popularity of tattoo art in the US and Europe, it is important to know a little bit about its past.

Tattooing is one of the oldest art forms known to exist. The oldest preserved human skin ever found is decorated with tattoos that were done during life. It is used as a form of expression in the majority of the world's cultures, and has been used for many purposes throughout history. In the last century in the West, it has been less common than in other parts of the world and in previous times. Recently, there has been a resurgence in its popularity.

During the early twentieth century in the United States, tattoos were difficult and sometimes dangerous to apply. Inks were made of materials that were reactive to sunlight and bodily fluids, and were placed into the skin by bare hands with dull, dirty, and usually re-used needles. During this time, even surgeons often used unwashed hands and equipment, and death from bacterial infection was far more common due to the lack of antibiotic therapy. This made getting a tattoo a risky behavior- and getting one became a way to express rebellion or anti-social beliefs. For many years, circus sideshows, hobo camps, and port-of-call navy towns were the only places where tattoos could be obtained. The perception of tattoos as seedy, self-destructive, or rebellious acts became entrenched in the american culture.This enabled many heavily tattooed men and women to make a decent living in sideshows by simply exposing their tattooed skin to shocked strangers.

The invention and growing popularity of the electric tattoo machine changed the way tattoos were applied; a tattoo that would take hours to do by hand became a fifteen-minute process. Tattoo art itself became less crude and rudimentary, and tattoo shops began to open in which the new "sanitary, electric" tattoos were sold from flash sets the artist had drawn and hung on the wall. During the second World War, many american servicemen, notably sailors in the US navy, came home wearing Japanese tattoos. These were often done in full color, something which had not been done in the US, and inspired many tattoo artists to begin honing their artistic skills. During this time Sailor Jerry was known as an innovator in the field, and his artwork is still nostalgically popular to this day.

After the war, tattoo artists began to communicate with each other more fluently about equipment and technique. Paul Rogers was an early innovator in machinery and technical

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