Tattooing has a rich global history dating back over 5000 years, with North American practices becoming more prominent in the 19th century following the establishment of the first tattoo parlor and the invention of the electric tattoo gun. As societal perceptions of tattoos evolved, they shifted from symbols of criminality and sailor mementos to appreciated art forms, with mainstream acceptance growing through popular media. Today, tattoos are regarded as personal expressions intertwined with art, fashion, and identity.

1. Tattooing: An Age of Change

2. From the Beginning… Throughout the world tattooing has played a role in society and culture since its beginning. The first tattoos were reportedly introduced 5000 years ago, and has been growing and developing ever since. One of the most fascinating aspects of this cultural phenomena, is how broad its history is, spanning the globe. In this project a more modern history will be provided for North America.

3. History The origins of tattooing span the globe, each country having its own history and cultural implications. The early Jesuits which traveled to North America first noted the Tattooing phenomena amongst the native Indians in the area. Until the 1900’s it was still not terribly widespread or understood. The first official tattoo parlor in North America was opened in 1846 in New York city by Martin Hildebrandt. In 1891 Samuel O’Reilly the first electric tattoo gun made the art more accessible to the masses. At this time tattoo culture was still isolated to a certain part of the population it was not more accessible. So with the beginning of the 1900’s came the validation of the tattooing phenomena with official shops and technology to allow more demographics access to the skin art.

4.  Example Of North American first Nations tattoo. Samuel O’Reilly: Inventor of first Tattoo gun -->

5. Leave the Mark… Tattooing is more then just a procedure permanently injecting ink into your skin. Its an art taking years of practice and training to master. In addition to a talented artist an electric drill like mechanism is required. This drill is similar to that of a dentist’s, with a motor attached to tube with needles which move up and down. This tattooing machine is relatively standardized with variation only found in how many needles are in the tube , penetrating the skin at one time. Another important aspect of tattoo art is how people choose their tattoo artist and shop. The skin in comprised of many layers called the epidermis, is the protective layer and is constantly being renewed. If you get sunburned or scratched, this, each with it own purpose and properties. The top layer, layer is easily removed. For these reasons this layer is not useful for tattooing. Below this layer is the target area for tattoo artists. The dermis is approximately 1 millimeter below the surface and is the layer which will create a permanent image. It is important for artists not to permeate this layer, sending the ink into the bloodstream and creating a faded tattoo. Once the artist is done with his craft, its up to the recipient to take proper care, insure the tattoo maintains its integrity

6. How Do People Choose the Shop?

7. Culture and Change There is no doubt that in the past tattooing and those who had them were judged as being less then classy or professional. It was believed within the last century that tattoos were solely for sailors, inmates, and criminals. As time progresses the individuals getting tattoos has changed with many high power business men getting involved. Sailors used to get the tattoos as mementos as they traveled the world. For criminals in prison tattooing aloud them to reach for some form of identity to separate them from other inmates. In Japan tattoos were used to identify the yakuza and this too played a role in the cultural understanding of tattoos. As shows such as Miami Ink come out, people are approaching tattoos differently, more as meaningful works of art, rather then symbols representing position or crime. The reasons why people in this day and age get a tattoo I just as interesting as the population who are tattooed. The following side with demonstrate this. “ Its half about art, half about fashion, and all about self ”

8. Reasons Why People Get Tattoos

9. Traditional Yakuza Tattoo's Old school Sailor Tattoo The cast / artists of Miami Ink

10. Works Cited Images Found From: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/5214/yakuza1.jpg http://z.hubpages.com/u/260868_f520.jpg http://www.miami-inked.com/miami-ink.jpg http://www.floatingworldtattoo.ca/images/1/3/7/5/prev.0.jpeg http://z.about.com/d/inventors/1/0/I/M/tattoo13.jpg Information Found from: http://www.designboom.com/history/tattoo_history.html http://tattoos-101.tattoofinder.com/tattoo-statistics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo http://www.tribal-celtic-tattoo.com/howtattooswork.htm http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/yakuza.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_tattoo