American tattoos began in Chatham
Square, NYC. There, the tattooists attracted working class people who had
money. Samuel O’Reilly came to NYC from Boston around 1875 and set up shop. He
took on an apprentice named Charlie Wagner. Samuel died in 1908 and Charlie
took over and opened a business with Lew Alberts. Lew was originally a
wallpaper designer, but he put his skills to a different use and began designing
tattoos. Soon, even cosmetic tattooing became popular; blush for cheeks,
colored lips, and eyeliner. (Kromarik, Katherine)
In the 1920’s during the
depression, Chatham Square lost its appeal and the tattoo businesses moved to Coney
Island. Across the country, people
opened tattoo shops in places that would support them; mainly in cities with
naval bases nearby. Tattoos were then known as travel markers representing
where a person had been. (Kromarik, Katherine)
After World War II, tattoos became
unpopular because they were now associated with bikers and juvenile
delinquents. They showed little respect in the American culture. (Kromarik, Katherine)
In 1961, there was an outbreak of
hepatitis and blood poisoning. Even though most tattoo shops had sterilization
machines, few used them. Shops in Times Square and Coney Island shut down.
Tattooing became illegal in New York. The better shops moved to Philadelphia
where tattooing was still legal. (Kromarik, Katherine)
In the late 1960’s, tattooing
became good again thanks to Lyle Tuttle. He was handsome, charming,
interesting, and knew how to use the media. He tattooed many celebrities;
mainly women. Many magazines went to him to get information about this ancient
art. (Kromarik, Katherine)
Works Cited
Kromarik, Katherine. “History of Tattooing.” The Art of Tattoo. Michigan State Univeristy. April 2003. Web. December 16th, 2012. <msu.edu/~krcmari1/individual/his_1900.html>
