THE HISTORY OF TATTOOS

 

The History of Tattoos  - Era of Body Art

Where did the tattoo begin, and how has this art form changed over the years?

In fact, the simple tattoo has been through a long evolution, having been performed since early times. The earliest evidence tattoo art comes in form of clay figurines that had their faces painted or engraved to represent tattoo marks. The oldest figures of this kind have been recovered from tombs in Japan dating to 5000 BCE or older.

Early Tattoo

Tattooing may have came from various places by way of migration and by nomadic peoples. The women of various gypsy tribes in India and the Middle East were specialized tattooists. As some of the earliest evidence of tattooing comes from Otzi. ( Mummy that was found in Otxal Alps ). He has total of 61 tattoos on his body, most of them on his legs.

Tattoos In Early Age

Tattoos in Ancient Greece and Rome were again used as  punishment, as criminals were branded with marks to make them stand out from society.

So In ancient Egypt, experts are of the opinion that tattooing was only done as procedure on women. This is thanks to the little evidence of ancient Egyptian male bodies with tattoos.

In China and Asia it is believed that as punishment for criminal acts, criminals would be branded with a tattoo on their face.

Tattoos In 20th Century

As we move towards 20th century, we see that tattoos in many cultures are still taboo. 

At that time, the 'stick and poke' method was still the only way to get a tattoo, so they were very painful to get. If you had tattoos, you were often thought to an outsider.

At that Era tattoos were such an amazing concept in the early century that people would actually pay to see them. Tattooed people would often travel with circuses, putting them on display.

At that time, it was popular for sailors to get meaningful tattoos on their bodies. The images they chose all had significance. Tattoos and Sailor's had a Good Relation , It was also common for sailors in the navy, and army men too, to get patriotic tattoos.

Tattoos since The 1950's

When the war ended and life went back to normal, there were serious shift towards the idea of  family life. Tattoos became underground again.

As we moved into the 60's and 70's , there was another huge shift in society. People were beginning to question the status, and that lead to tattoos exploding in popularity.

When the 1980's came, tattoos were getting bigger and bolder, along with lot of other fashions. One design that was very popular was the Celtic Knot, that came in all kind.

While the 90's spread, and we saw a lot of newer designs come about. Feminine designs saw a real resurgence, then we saw butterflies, flowers, hearts, stars and more designs.

The finger tattoo became popular at this time too.

Entering The 2010's

Now More and more people getting tattooed. Tattoos were no longer seen as taboo practice, and it was clear that those who were tattooed were as professional and regular as anyone else. As the The watercolor tattoo brought new depths of meaning to tattoos creating beautiful delicate designs to many peoples' skin.

The original meanings of many tattoos are lost. However, body decorations such as scarification, tattoos and piercings have always been an obvious means of distinguishing individuals within a group, and groups within a society. Since Tattoos have been a feature of human expression from literally thousands years.

Maybe you'll be the one to kick start the trend ??