History of Tattoos and Piercings

When someone thinks about the history of tattoos, a picture of a tribesman with tribal markings may spring to mind. These tribesman with a primitive tattoo marking on their body helped to form what is now a modern tattoo culture in the 21st Century. No matter where you look you will find that the tattoo is rich of tradition in many cultures that date back thousands and thousands of years.

During the course of time, there has been an important role of tradition and rituals in some cases of tattoo history in some countries and in some tribes.

History of Tattoos in Tribes

A very long time ago in the history of tattoos, women in Borneo used tattoo designs as a means of marking and showing their skills.

These designs was also believed and used as a way of warding away some illnesses and diseases by having the design around the persons fingers and wrist.

During the course of the history of tattoos it has also been used to symbolize a certain clan or society as well. However, the purpose of tattoos has differed and changed from culture to culture throughout the course of time.

Research that has been carried out on has shown that the earliest form of tattoos may of come from Egypt during the time of the pyramids, although there are those that believe that the tattoo may have been used much earlier.

Tattoos in ancient Egypt were used as a way to mark the slaves and the peasants of the Pharaohs. Then around 2,000 BC, the use of the tattoo spread to China and then to Greece, the Greeks used inked skin as a method of communication among it’s spies.

History of tattoos in Asia and the rest of the world..

During this time, Japan then decided to incorporate the use of tattoos too. The Japanese people used Asian design tattoos for religious and ceremonial purposes. There are images of Japanese men literally covered in Asian sign tattoos from head to foot in what we now know as Kanji tattoos. Women in Borneo were thought to be the best artists of tribal tattoos and produced the designs that indicated the individuals point in life and what tribe that person was affiliated with.

Tattoos were widely fashionable during this period, nevertheless, the level of people getting infected was also quite high and quite common. The tattoo was a long way from being clean and perfected – which was demonstrated in the early days of the medieval methods used.

Also during this period of the history of tattoos various designs started to filter through into the Western regions and culture, although the tattoo was not accepted at first. A man named William Dampher, who was an explorer was the person credited in fully introducing tattoos into the Western cultures, namely in England.

In 1961, William Dampher brought over a heavily tattooed Prince to the Western culture with the Prince showing off his tattoos at exhibitions.

Mr Dampher made quite a sum of money from these attractions, which in turn then made tattoos very popular and well desired throughout London and the surrounding areas. Before that time it was nearly 600 years since a tattoo had first been witnessed in the area.

In America, it was Chatham Square, located in New York City, which was the first place to feature an American style tattoo.

Then during the turn of the century, it was Chatham Square that was attracting people from all over the United States, especially those people that had money and were considered wealthy.

Whilst Chatham Square, Manhattan was gaining popularity and attracting people from all over the US, a gentleman by the name of Samuel O-Reily opened up a shop there, Samuel then became the first man ever in the history of tattoos to use a tattoo gun that was electric, and the rest as they say is history!

The next chapter to feature came during the late 60′s, tattoos all of a sudden really began to take off and thus a tattoo culture was born. Tattoos were being featured in magazines, television and pretty much talked about everywhere.

In the modern times body art is very common, nearly ½ of the population in the United States alone can lay claim to having at least one tattoo on their body somewhere. Body art tattoos have always been a phenomenon in culture and they will long continue to be one as it is an ideal way of expressing one’s self and that is clear from everything you read about the history of tattoos is that in some way or another tattoo images have been as a way of one expressing themselves.