GREAT BRITAIN
During the 19th century, tattooing flourished in England like nowhere else in Europe. This was due to the tradition of tattooing in the British Navy, which began with the first voyage of Captain Cook in 1769. During the decades that followed, many British seamen returned home bearing souvenirs of their travels in the form of exotic tattoos. Sailors learned the art, and by the middle of the 18th century most British ports had at least one tattoo artist in residence(En.wikipedia.org, 2017).
In Early England
Tattoos in England
Tattoos in England
The Duke of York -- later King George V -- acquired his first tattoo,
when a midshipman aboard H.M.S. Baccante, from the famous
Japanese tattooist Hori Chyo
George 'Professor' Burchett (also styled the 'King of Tattooists') was born on 23 August 1872 in the English seaside town ofBrighton, East Sussex and became one of the most famous tattoo artists in the world.
Early English criminals were tattooed
with these letters.
Tattooing gained royal sanction in 1862 when the Prince of Wales visited the Holy Land and had a Jerusalem Cross tattooed on his arm. In later life, as King Edward VII, he acquired a number of traditional tattoos(En.wikipedia.org, 2017).
Royal Tattoos
(Images from：Vanishingtattoo.com, 2017)
EUROPE
The oldest and most famous direct proof of ancient European tattooing appears on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, who was found in the Ötz valley in the Alps and dates from the late 4th millennium BC.
The significance of tattooing was long open to Eurocentric interpretations. In the mid-19th century, Baron Haussmann, while arguing against painting the interior of Parisian churches, said the practice "reminds me of the tattoos used in place of clothes by barbarous peoples to conceal their nakedness"(Vanishingtattoo.com, 2017).
The body of Ötzi the Iceman
Italian criminal tattoos late 19th Century
The body of Ötzi the Iceman
A 'Libere', one of hundreds of criminals living as free men in French colony of Guiana, after the dissolution of the penal colony at Devil's Island circa 1938.
(Images from：Vanishingtattoo.com, 2017)
EGYPT
In Egypt the majority of tattoos were found on women, indicating status. They also used tattoos for healing, religion, and as a form of punishment(Vanishingtattoo.com, 2017).
(Images from：Vanishingtattoo.com, 2017)
JAPAN
Tattooing for spiritual and decorative purposes in Japan is thought to extend back to at least the Jōmon orPaleolithic period and was widespread during various periods for both the Japanese and the nativeAinu.[citation needed] Chinese texts from before 300 AD described social differences among Japanese people as being indicated through tattooing and other bodily marking.Chinese texts from the time also described Japanese men of all ages as decorating their faces and bodies with tattoos(Vanishingtattoo.com, 2017).
Criminals were marked with a variety of symbols that designated the places where the crimes were committed.
19th Century Japanese tattoo
Japanese tattooing is also mentioned in other Chinese histories, but almost always in a negative context. The Chinese considered tattooing to be a sign of barbarism and used it only as punishment.
(Images from：Vanishingtattoo.com, 2017)
CHINA
Tattooing in China is called Ci Shen (Or Wen Shen), a term that means literally “puncture the body.” tattoos have traditionally been associated with prisoners or members of criminal gangs. Against this background, it is understandable that some Chinese elders still view this form of body art with a certain degree of contempt. The tattooing practices of some of China’s indigenous people spread west along the Silk Road, which stretched from Xi’an in central China all the way to the Mediterranean Sea(Björkell, 2017).
Wrestler Roshi Ensei, one of 108 heroes in the Chinese adventure story Shuihu zhuan (The Water Margin), was decorated at an early age by a master tattoo artist. Painting by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861). (Photo: Public Domain)
The most famous tattoo in Chinese history comes from the legend of the Chinese general Yueh Fei. Yueh Fei served the South Song Dynasty. During battle with northern enemies the Field Marshall under whom Yueh Fei served betrayed the South Song and went over to the enemy.
IHis mother grew angry with him, telling him that his duty was first and foremost to his country, despite all else. To remind him of this fact she tattooed four characters on his back with her sewing needle.
Tattooing among women of the Dulong group, who live along the Dulong River, dates back to the Ming Dynasty some 350 years ago. The Dulong women began tattooing their faces in reaction. It was thought that the tattoos would make them uglier and less likely to be raped. This tradition has continued into modern times despite the fact that the Dulong are no longer under attack from neighboring tribes.
(Images from：Björkell, 2017)
NORTH AMERICAN
Most 19th Century scholars took no interest in North American native tattooing and very little information can be found. One scholar, A.T. Sinclair surveyed all the literature written about tattooing and wrote a paper, "Tattooing of the American Indians" which surveyed the records of tattooing in each geographical area of North America(En.wikipedia.org, 2017).
North America's First Nations Tattoos
attoo markings of Mohawk (left) and Cree Indian males
Algonquin Chief circa 1590
Inoca in 1735. Their faint tattoos, can be observed on their chests, backs, and legs.
(Images from：Vanishingtattoo.com, 2017)