History of the tatto culture in New York city - Essay Example

History of Tattoo Culture in NYC Historic records indicate that tattooing has been in existence for a considerable time dating back to Neolithic times in the period around 3300BC. According to historic record, tattooing was first practised by Otzi the Iceman in 3300 BC, and is said that he bore 57 tattoos in separate parts of his body such as in ankles and legs, across the left knee, and along the lumbar among others. The culture of tattoo was practised in the ancient world and in nearly all the parts of the world, with varying purposes. The most notable ancient world culture was witnessed in Indonesia, Persia, China, Samoa, Egypt, Japan, and Middle East. Tattooing culture was re- introduced in the Western world in the sixteenth century with Anglo- Saxons kings of England getting tattooed. Since then, culture of tattooing has been gaining prominence gradually across the world. Presently, it is normal to find people with tattoo in virtually all parts of the world including those countries that are considered too religious and conservative. In fact, since 1990s, tattoos have been considered as one of the major parts of Western and indeed global fashion, that cuts across gender, age, and economic classes (Gilbert 6-7). This discussion will focus on history of tattoo with specific reference to New York City (NYC), United States. Before discussing the history of tattoo in NYC, it is important to understand what tattoo means. A tattoo refers to a design, which is carved permanently in the skin through insertion of indelible ink into the skin’s dermis layer in order to change the pigment. On humans, tattoos are a type of modification to the body while on animals they are mostly used for identification purposes. The word tattoo came from the term ‘tatua’, which a Tahitian word is meaning to mark (Rainer 11). In recent times, tattoo have gained social acceptance and is very popular in the US. It is estimated that, in 2010, about 38% of the US’ Generation Y had tattoos. The culture of tattooing in the US dominantly took root in the 1800s. This art was sparked by the immigrants around this time. The immigrant who got the honour of being considered the first professional tattooist was Martin Hildebrandt who was a German immigrant. Even though he is credited as the first professional tattooist, it is important to highlight that tattooing was dine before but through the use of hand and was not considered very professional. 1891 marked the most crucial period for tattooing in the US when the first electric tattoo machine was issued to Samuel O’ Reilly, an Irish tattooist, at the US Patent Office. O’Reilly began his tattoo business as a ‘tattoo parlour’ in NYC. This parlour was the first tattoo studio in the US (Fenske 26). Thereafter, several other parlours were brought up across the US as they became the new trends. First and Second World Wars provided an opportunity for the growth and development of tattoo culture in the US. The US military adopted tattooing as their means of remembrance and protection. Besides, tattooing culture was popularized by different other media such as magazines, books, articles, conventions, among other means of exposure. In the late twentieth century, America witnessed some sort of tattoo renaissance; the culture of tattoo was growing fast as a popular fashion. This renaissance was occurring in the US since the mid of 198 and was evident across the country. Tattoo shops were being opened at an increasing rate and could be found nearly everywhere among and in all states of America. These shops were more popular among the young people and the tattoos on their body were more prevalent than had been witnessed before (McCabe 51-53). Now, tattooing is indeed a growing trend especially among the youth adults and the teens that use tattoo as a means of expressing themselves, their style, and their feelings. It is evidently clear that through the last century, in the United States, tattooing has changed from a culture that is considered rare and despised to a culture that is one of the most popular means of self-expression through art. It is incredible to consider this rapid development of tattooing culture through years and it will be amazing to see its future development as well. However, the trends in the US point to the fact that tattooing is destined to be bigger and more popular with people of all ages, religion, gender, and race. It is worth to highlight that in the US and NYC in particular, tattoos was initially considered to be socially unacceptable and dangerous (Time Magazine). However, as years passed on the aforementioned factors such as popularization though media and its adoption by the military saw it grow tremendously. As had already been mentioned, NYC marked the advent of tattooing culture in the US in the sense that in 1891 the first electric tattoo machine was issued to Samuel O’ Reilly, an Irish tattooist, at the US Patent Office. This proves that NYC forms a crucial part in the tattooing history in America. Actually, Chatham Square in the City of New York was the birthplace of what is considered as the American tattoo style. NYC an entertainment and seaport centre during the turn of the century and therefore it was attracting people who were working and had money. It is for this reason that O’Reilly came from Boston in order to set tattoo shop there. During his time there, he took Charlie Wagner as an apprentice. So, the death of O’ Reilly in 1908 did not present a major challenge to the potential growth of tattooing culture in NYC as Wagner was able to ensure its continuity. Wagner on his part partnered with Lew Alberts. Alberts was a wallpaper designer by training and he was therefore able to transfer those skills to tattoo designing as well (Gilbert 33). In fact, he is renowned for redesigning one of the largest portion of early flash art of tattoo. During this time, tattooing was declining across the country because it did not have strong footing and there were some myths that were being associated with it. However, this was not the case with NYC and specifically Chatham square where tattooing was flourishing. In NYC, tattooing was so popular to an extent that husbands were tattooing their wives as examples of their desirable work. These wives, in turn, played the important role of walking advertisement for the artistic work of their husbands. What’s more, cosmetic tattooing was gaining popularity; coloured lips, eyeliner, and blush for cheeks. Even though this mode of tattooing was still popular, tattooing that focused on bravery was also gaining prominence. With the depression and prohibition of the 1920s, Chatham Square lost its appeal as one of the tattooing centre. The appeal moved to Coney Island, which became the new centre for tattoo (McCabe 79). However, it is important to note that the influence of Chatham Square in NYC was already being felt everywhere across the US as tattooist shops were opening in most parts of the country especially in areas that had military bases. However, the history of development of tattoo culture across the world, the US, and particularly was not just a record of success and nothing more; it had numerous challenges which are usually associated with development of trends and cultures that might often conflict with attitudes, traditions, and religious beliefs. One of the major challenges that faced tattooing culture not only in NYC but also across the world was ban. After the Second World War, tattoos became denigrated further since they were being associated with Marlon Brando type bikers and most of the Juvenile delinquents. This resulted to it gaining very little respect in the American culture. This situation was further compounded by the outbreak of hepatitis in 1961. This outbreak was attributed to tattooing as the tattooing shops were accused of not having sterilization, and even those who had were accused of rarely using them, which eventually led to denigration of tattooing to near total decline. The newspapers and other media channels covered greatly the stories related to dangers associated with tattooing. These stories mainly highlighted the following dangers associated with tattooing; hepatitis, blood poisoning among other dangers caused by failure of tattoo shops to use sterilization machines. As a result, the general population held tattoo parlours in low regard. NYC reacted immensely to these reports and wanted to ensure that its people were safe in instances regarding tattooing (Reif 1). The outbreak of hepatitis in 1961 and the resultant fears about it, was a major concern among the NYC people and more so the NYC authorities. Initially, the NYC government gave the tattooists an opportunity to self- regulate themselves through a formation of an association. However, they were unable to organize themselves because most of them were independent. These health concerns regarding blood- borne disease had caused many cities and states including New York, to ban tattoo parlours. The NYC government brought into effect a health code violation, which resulted, to shutting down of tattoo shops at Coney Islands and Times Square. The ban was much longer and hard on operators of tattoo parlours in NYC more than any other city across the US. In fact, due to the outbreak of hepatitis, NYC banned tattoo parlours from 1961 until 1997 when the ban was lifted. At first, the ban meant that it was difficult for people to get a tattoo in New York since it was illegal and tattoo in general had a very bad reputation. Very few people wanted tattoos. Due to difficulty in getting tattoo in NYC, tattoo shops moved to areas such as New Jersey and Philadelphia where regulations on tattoo was minimal in addition to being legal. It is necessarily to highlight at this point that, even though a tattooing ban had been imposed in NYC, the attitude towards tattooing, generally, was changing towards the positive end in the late 1960s. This change of attitude is greatly attributed to Lyle Tuttle who was interesting, knew how to use the media, charming, and handsome. As a result, he tattooed numerous celebrities especially women (Fenske 96- 98). The tattoo ban between 1961 until 1997 implied that for 36 years, NYC did not have tattoo storefronts not even in the Bowery where the American style tattoo, which is considered as the modern tattooing, was invented in 1891. During the time of the ban, televisions in street- level store windows were not showing people getting tattoos. Besides, there were no advertisements on tattoos. Those who dearly wanted to offer tattooing services used either vague messages or fliers though discreetly. In addition, interested persons were directing each other where to get a tattoo. In 1985, 12 years before the ban was lifted, tattooists in NYC formed New York Tattoo Society in a Sixth Street gallery. It served as a place where they met every month; nearly all tattoo artists from NYC came together to learn better tattoo techniques and share ideas. The society eventually played a very crucial role in the legalization of tattoo 12 years later as it catalyzed the legalization process. The society grew with time to compose not only the tattoo artists but also the students who had art interests. This society had young motivated and aggressive people who mobilized significant number of people towards the legalization of tattooing. Few years before the official legalization of tattooing, underground shops were beginning to flourish in the New York’s backrooms. By 1995, some advertisements had started to be placed in the alternative newspapers’ back pages; some tattoo artists advertised tattooing services in papers such as New York Press and Village Voice (Hess 3). However, even though the tattooists were making remarkable progress, the illegality of the practice was their biggest challenge. Kathryn Freed, the then Councilwoman, Patterson, and Wood worked towards coordinating the legalization efforts. They worked for nearly a year by talking to tattoo artists, lobbying artists opposed to tattoo bill to embrace it, and speaking at City Hall and other places within NYC. Eventually, Wood received a fax two weeks before the NYC council meeting to decide on legalizing tattooing though a final vote. There were many regulations that placed against tattooing such as restrictive $5000 fees for license, restrictions on materials for floors and walls, and restriction on square footage among other restrictions. Wood and Patterson challenged most of these regulations since they would hamper tattoo shops’ ability to do business. Fortunately, the Health Department was of similar opinion regarding lack of necessity for tattoo industry regulations as the department did not have adequate financial resources to enforce the regulations. Ultimately, after the second draft of the bill had been composed, the bill was passed in February 1997 by a majority vote of 38 to 7. The bill came with some restrictions such as making tattooing of persons under 18 years illegal in NYC (Gilbert 101). The legalization of tattooing in NYC was a triumph for tattoo artists in NYC prompting the industry take off in the city with tattoo parlours established throughout the city. Indeed, the culture of tattoos has come a long way from being associated with sailors and criminals to becoming embraced as part of the normal society. At the beginning of tattoo culture, it mainly played tradition and ritual roles. Also, it was mostly used by the travellers and the sailors. Among the Greeks, tattooing was used for spies’ communication. The tattoo markings identified them and indicated their ranks. Tattooing experienced the period of growth as well as the period of its decline in different parts across the world (Rainer 27). In the West, William Dampher is credited to be responsible for the re- introduction of tattooing culture. Dampher was an explorer and a sailor as well who travelled the Southern Seas (Kennedy 10). He brought to London a heavily- tattooed Polynesian which was named Prince Giolo, in 1691. It was famously named Painted Prince. The Painted Prince was put on exhibition, and became a money- making attraction but also a source of rage in London. Another sailor, Captain Cook brought with him heavily- tattooed Polynesian which was called Omai and became a sensation in London and Europe in general (McCabe 22). Tattooing has in most cases been associated with criminal activities especially in the past before it was fully embraced. They were used by criminals to show membership to certain gangs and record the wearer of the tattoo criminal history such as his accomplishments, convictions, specialties and skills. They were also used by criminals as a way of personal expression. Tattoo designs were developed in such a way that it expressed and passed a certain coded meanings to members involved (Beredt 5). In America the criminal tattoos had been existed since the time tattoo took roots in America to the recent times. However, over the years, tattooing cultural status has evolved from being considered an anti- social activity especially in the 1960s to becoming a trendy statement of fashion from the mid 1980s to the present (Kimmeren 2). The media have played a critical role in elevating the status of tattooing. Influential celebrities adoption of the culture from the mid 1980s have resulted to the practice to be accepted by the wider segment of the society and more so the American society. These days one can often spot tattoos on celebrities such as professional sports figures, fashion models, rock stars, movie stars, and the ordinary persons as well. Besides, there have been the emergences of distinct tattoo classes namely tattoo art studio and tattoo parlour which have embraced well by the society (Kimmeren 2). It is nearly undisputable that people, now than ever before, have begun to appreciate the artistic nature and merit of tattooing. Apart from being used to express religious and personal beliefs, they are being used as a fashion statement. The art of tattooing is witnessing the meteoric rise courtesy of the following; artistic ability, historical awareness, and technology. Thus, it is clear that the art of tattoo is growing rapidly and has touched nearly if not all countries of the world, and more so America (Fenske 9). In conclusion, it is evident from the discussion that tattooing has had a very long history and has experienced immense growth and challenges as well. Tattooing has been used throughout history for different reasons depending on different contexts, cultures, and personality. Even though the culture was introduced to America a bit more lately than in the other parts of the world, it has grown rapidly. It can be gathered from the discussion that New York City was indeed the cradle of tattooing culture in the US; the culture of tattooing was invented in NYC and thereafter spread to the rest of the US. Despite experiencing initial growth in the practice of tattooing, NYC was later faced with numerous challenges on the same that culminate to its ban in 1961, but fortunately, the ban was lifted in 1997. Lastly, it is clear that tattooing culture has evolved gradually from being associated with sailors and criminals to being one of the most embraced in the world. Works Cited Beredt, John. That Tattoo. Esquire Magazine, Aug. 1989. Print. Fenske, Mindy. Tattoos in American Visual Culture. NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print. Gilbert, Steve. The Tattoo History Source Book. NY: Juno, 2000. Fred. Hess, Elizabeth. Written on the Body. The Village Voice Sept 26, 1995 Kennedy, Randy. Cappuccino with your Tattoo? Try that on a Sailor. The New York Times, July 27 1997. Kimmeren, Michael. Tattoo Moves from Fringes to Fashion. The New York Times, Feb. 17, 1997 McCabe, Michael. New York City Tattoo: The Oral History of an Urban Art. CA: Hardy Marks, 1997. Print. Rainer, Chris. Ancient Marks: The Sacred Origins of Tattoos and Body Markings.CA: Earth Aware, 2006 Reif, Rita. Arts/ Artefacts: When the Artists Canvas is the Body. The New York Times, August 27, 1995 "Tattoo Renaissance," Time Magazine, Dec. 21, 1970 Read More