Tattoos are hugely popular with everyone from young rebels to soccer moms. The art form can be seen in all social circles and all age groups. No longer the domain of sailors and bikers, tattoos both large and small decorate both men and women from all parts of American society. Yet most aficionados don’t know much about the early history of tattoos. How were the early tattoos created, how did indigenous people in Africa or Polynesia apply their tattoos and what significance did they hold? This book explains the use of tattoos by indigenous groups and American blue-collar workers. More important, this book explains the evolution of the art form simple one-color cliched images to the multi-dimensional and very colorful art seen today. This book uses images and interviews with the old timers to explain exactly how the methods, the designs, the inks, and the tools have changed in the last twenty years. In total, the book presents a history of tattoos, from Sailor Jerry to TV-Ink, richly illustrated with a combination of old images taken back in the day, and new photos of the latest and most intricate tattoo work being done today, tattoo designs.

The author takes the reader from the early days of sailor tattoos to today’s colorful and elaborate, tattoos. Told by the seasoned artists who pushed the envelope to the current state of the art, this book uses old photos and interviews with the early artists to explain the evolution of the art. For anyone with an interest in Tattoos, this book gives an accurate look at “the good old days” and how we’ve done from those not-so-great practices to the beautiful and safe art we enjoy today.