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200
2160 BCE Tattooing prevalent in Ancient Egypt
mummies bearing tattoos and dating from the end of the second millennium BC have been discovered, such as the Mummy of Amunet from ancient Egypt and the mummies at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau.[6] -
220
1000 BCE Henna as tattoo art starts spreading
Henna has been used to adorn young women’s bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations since the late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean. The earliest text mentioning henna in the context of marriage and fertility celebrations comes from the Ugaritic legend of Baal and Anath, which has references to women marking themselves with henna in preparation to meet their husbands, and Anath adorning herself with henna to celebrate a victory over the enemies of Baal. -
306
Christian emperor Constantine bans tattoos
tattoos were felt to "disfigure that made in God's image" and so were banned by the Emperor Constantine (A.D. 306-373). -
500
Pilgrim tattoo's get relegious sanction
In the Middle Ages, people would leave their European villages on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The only way to prove that you had actually been to the Holy Land was to return with a tattoo from the Coptic priests. They practiced their tattoo art outside the city walls of Jerusalem. -
Jan 1, 1022
King Harold II gets tattooed
The earliest reference to British royalty being tattooed was King Harold II (1022 – 1066). It is recorded – possibly spuriously – by William of Poitiers that Harold's sister Edith could only pick out his mutilated body after the Battle of Hastings from the words 'Edith' and 'England' tattooed on his chest. -
Jan 1, 1576
Tattoed Inuit presented at Elizabeth I's court
While there are a multitude of localized references to tattooing practices in the Arctic, the first was probably recorded by Sir Martin Frobisher in 1576. Sir Martin Frobisher took prisoner a native Inuit man and a woman with a child, upon his return to England the woman having tattoos on her chin and forehead was a great attraction at the court of Elizabeth I. All three died within a month. -
Tattoo as an art begins to evolve in Japan
Until the Edo period (1600-1868 AD) the role of tattoos in Japanese society fluctuated. Tattooed marks were still used as punishment, but minor fads for decorative tattoos -- some featuring designs that would be completed only when lovers' hands were joined -- also came and went. It was in the Edo period, however, that Japanese decorative tattooing began to develop into the advanced art form it is known as today. -
Dutch discover exotic tattoo world of Samoa
the Samoan Islands were first seen by Europeans in 1722 three Dutch ships commanded by Jacob Roggewein visited the eastern island known as Manua.The ships lay at anchor off the islands for several days, but the crews did not venture ashore and didn’t even get close enough to the natives to realize that they were not wearing silk leggings, but their legs were completely covered in tattoos -
James Cook makes 1st reference to word Tattoo
Between 1766 and 1779, Captain James Cook made three voyages to the South Pacific, the last trip ending with Cook's death in Hawaii in February, 1779. When Cook and his men returned home to Europe from their voyages to Polynesia, they told tales of the 'tattooed savages' they had seen.Many of Cook's men, ordinary seamen and sailors, came back with tattoos, a tradition that would soon become associated with men of the sea in the public's mind and the press of the day. -
Tattoo becomes popular in 19th century Europe
Tattooing spread among the upper classes all over Europe in the nineteenth century, but particularly in Britain where it was estimated in Harmsworth Magazine in 1898 that as many as one in five members of the gentry were tattooed. There, it was not uncommon for members of the social elite to gather in the drawing rooms and libraries of the great country estate homes after dinner and partially disrobe in order to show off their tattoos. -
Circus popularizes tattoos
The great 19th century showman, Phineas T. Barnum, is credited with organizing the first group exhibitions of unique individuals. One of the principal attractions at Barnum’s American Museum in 1842 was James F. O’Connell who had the honor of being the first tattooed man ever exhibited in the United States. -
First American tattoo studio opens
Several tattoo artists found employment in Washington, DC during the Civil War. The best known tattooist of the time was German born Martin Hildebrandt, who began his career in 1846. He traveled a lot and was welcomed in both the Union and Confederate camps, where he tattooed military insignias and the names of sweethearts. In 1870, Hildebrandt established an “atelier” on Oak Street in New York City and this is considered to be the first American tattoo studio. He worked there for over 20 years -
1st professional British tattoo artist opens shop
The first British professional known to us by name was D.W. Purdy, who established a shop in North London around 1870. The only existing record of Purdy's work is a booklet published toward the end of his career. It bears the practical title Tattooing: how to tattoo, what to use, etc. (London: Medical Tracts, 1896). Purdy apparently drew all his designs freehand without using stencils, for he admonished the beginner: -
O'Reilly invents tattoo machine; becomes famous
Samuel O'Reilly was a mechanic and technician. Early in his career he began working on a machine to speed up the tattooing process. He reasoned that if the needles could be moved up and down automatically in a hand-held machine, the artist could tattoo as fast as he could draw. In 1891 O’Reilly patented his invention and offered if for sale along with colors, designs and other supplies.Tattooing in the USA was revolutionized overnight. -
Jews branded with tattoos during Holocaust
During the Holocaust, concentration camp prisoners received tattoos at the Auschwitz concentration camp complex. The camp authorities assigned more than 400,000 prisoner serial numbers (not counting approximately 3,000 numbers given to police prisoners interned at Auschwitz due to overcrowding in jails who were not included in the daily count of prisoners). -
Japanese identify tattooing with yakuza mafia
Tattooing was legalized by the occupation forces in 1945, but has retained its image of criminality. For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the yakuza, Japan's notorious mafia, and many businesses in Japan (such as public baths, fitness centers and hot springs) still ban customers with tattoos. -
Tattoos become part of the Beatniks culture and Hippie movement
The Beatniks of the 1950s and Hippie movements of the 1960s turned to Asian tattooing techniques as a personal expression of spiritual and mystical body aestheticism -
New York bans tattoo after Hepatitis outbreak
Indeed, health concerns about blood-born disease have caused many states and cities, including Newark, to ban tattoo parlors. In New York City, a hepatitis outbreak in 1961 led to a ban that was not lifted until 1997.
In recent years, many towns in New Jersey, including Haledon, Prospect Park, Hawthorne and Bloomfield have removed the bans to avoid legal challenges, and have implemented ordinances to regulate tattooing. -
Exhibitions mirror tattoo's mainstream acceptance
The practices and conventions of the fine art world have infused the profession of tattooing. While tattoos have long been recognized for their aesthetic value within tattoo communities, defining moments in tattoo art’s legitimization process only began to occur in 1995, when Soho’s The Drawing Center, a prestigious non-profit art institution presented ‘‘Pierced Hearts and True Love: A Century of Drawings for Tattoos.’’ -
Oklahoma becomes last U.S state to legalize tatoos
In November of 2006, Oklahoma became the last U.S state to decriminalize tattooing, repealing a 1963 law that prevented any person from receiving a “permanent, indelible mark” upon his or her body. Provided that a tattoo artist becomes licensed and posts a $100,000 surety bond, he or she can operate within the state. -
3300 BCE OTZI THE ICEMAN DISCOVERED. HAS 59 TATTOOS
Ötzi the Iceman, dating from the fourth to fifth millennium BC, was found in the Ötz valley in the Alps and had approximately 57 carbon tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines on his lower spine, behind his left knee, and on his right ankle. These tattoos were thought to be a form of healing because of their placement which resembles acupuncture
