Old School Tattoos
Old School Tattoos Do You Want A Sailor Appeal?
The old school tattoos can also be known as the traditional tattoos. The imagery of these tattoos can be easily identified. The old school tattoos lost their charm a few decades back. However, they are gaining popularity amongst the younger generation. As a matter of fact some people find them stylish! They are known for their eternal appeal and are currently worn with a feeling of paradox. They have a vintage look.
The birthplace of the old school tattoos was Chatham Square in New York. It was the conception of Samuel O’Reilly who came here from Boston to set his own tattoo parlor. After his death in 1908, his student Charlie along with Alberts (who was a wallpaper designer) contributed to the development of this art.
So back during those times, tattoo industry was not gaining any mileage. However, in Chatham Square it was booming. While walking down the realms of past you could see many men getting the faces of their wives tattooed on their arms. They were basically advertising the art of old school tattoos.
The 1920’s saw decline of the Chatham Square due to the great depression. So the center for old school tattoos moved to Coney Island. Everywhere the tattoo shops opened near the naval bases or the military bases. Tattoo art started revealing the place where the sailors went by.
Some of the popular designs in the category of old school tattoos are the Native American Tattoos, Sparrow tattoos, and nautical star tattoos. The Harley Davidson tattoos and the anchor tattoo are perhaps more common. The former is flaunted by the bikers’ community. Now-a-days you can find these tattoos at the most uncommon places in the body.
The old school tattoos usually have lots of blank ink injected in the skin. Color is quite less and this is because in the ancient era of tattooing not many colorful tattoo inks were easily available. The color is limited to the primary colors especially red, blue and black. So the designs that we see today are definitely more colorful than the original art. You can contribute this to the evolution of the tattoo art and the tools used in it.
A common feature in the old school tattoos is the presence of the ribbon with text. People also got their names included in the tattoo. One person who really contributed to the genre of old school tattoos was Norman Collins also known as Sailor Jerry. He was in navy and traveled around the world extensively. He got to learn about the tattoo art in Southeast Asia.
Once he settled on land, he opened his tattoo parlor in Honolulu. His shop was frequently visited by sailors who stopped by for drinks and women over there. The old school tattoos he created became popular worldwide. Presently his designs have again hit the fashion with a bang.
Another interesting fact about Sailor Jerry is that his legacy was carried further by two of his students, Ed and Mike. They even began to sell these old school tattoos for clothing items. Some time later they also started production of Sailor Jerry rum which had the famous hula girl on its label.
Some of the most celebrated people who feature the old school tattoos include Amy Whinehouse and Winston Churchill. Amy has a sailor tattoo and most of her tattoos are on her arms. Churchill flaunted the anchor tattoo on his arm.
