Walk down any high street on a summer day and you’re bound to see them: countless examples of inked flesh peeking out from under sleeves, pant legs, and necklines. Tattoos, it seems, are everywhere these days. But while many may associate tattoos with counterculture or the working class, a new book reveals their surprising popularity among an entirely different demographic: Victorian aristocrats.
Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art, by Matt Lodder, explores how the modern tattoo industry developed not in spite of, but because of wealthy patrons seeking to adorn their skin with exotic and artistic designs. As Lodder explains, “The main reason, certainly in Britain, we have a tattooing industry is because rich people wanted to get tattooed.”
From Japan to Jolly Old England
Contrary to popular belief, the tattoo craze didn’t begin with Captain Cook’s voyages to the Pacific in the mid-18th century. Rather, Lodder identifies the opening of Japan to foreign trade in 1858 as the pivotal moment. Just as Japanese art and design captured the imaginations of Europe’s upper crust, so too did the tradition of Japanese tattooing.
Soon, British royals and other European nobility were journeying to Japan to get inked, sparking a fashion that trickled down the social ladder. “If your king, or your bank manager, has a tattoo it’s unlikely to be visible,” Lodder notes. “But if you are a manual labourer rolling up your sleeves it’s a different story.”
Pioneering Tattoo Artists
As demand for tattoos grew, so too did the ranks of professional tattoo artists. Tattoos: The Untold History profiles several key figures who helped establish tattooing as a legitimate craft:
- Sutherland Macdonald, a society tattooist who used electric machines as early as 1891 and advertised in upscale publications
- Les Skuse, who kept tattooing alive in post-WWII Britain when the practice fell out of favor
- Phil Sparrow, an American college professor turned official Hells Angels tattoo artist
- Jessie Knight, a rare female tattooist known for her poetic advertisements
“The question as to why people go into a shop and pay someone they don’t know to get tattooed is a fascinating one. In part it’s as simple as people wanting images that they like, but there is so much more going on.”
– Matt Lodder
Not Just for Sailors and Scoundrels
While tattoos have long been associated with sailors, criminals, and general ne’er-do-wells, Lodder’s book aims to challenge these stereotypes. By shining a light on the overlooked history of elite tattooing, Tattoos: The Untold History reveals how a once-underground practice became a thriving global industry.
So the next time you spot a particularly striking tattoo, consider that the wearer may be following in the well-heeled footsteps of Victorian aristocrats. As a society tattooist once observed, “Tattooing has passed from the savage to the sailor, from the sailor to the landsman… It has received its credentials, and may now be found beneath many a tailored shirt.”
Soon, British royals and other European nobility were journeying to Japan to get inked, sparking a fashion that trickled down the social ladder. “If your king, or your bank manager, has a tattoo it’s unlikely to be visible,” Lodder notes. “But if you are a manual labourer rolling up your sleeves it’s a different story.”
Pioneering Tattoo Artists
As demand for tattoos grew, so too did the ranks of professional tattoo artists. Tattoos: The Untold History profiles several key figures who helped establish tattooing as a legitimate craft:
- Sutherland Macdonald, a society tattooist who used electric machines as early as 1891 and advertised in upscale publications
- Les Skuse, who kept tattooing alive in post-WWII Britain when the practice fell out of favor
- Phil Sparrow, an American college professor turned official Hells Angels tattoo artist
- Jessie Knight, a rare female tattooist known for her poetic advertisements
“The question as to why people go into a shop and pay someone they don’t know to get tattooed is a fascinating one. In part it’s as simple as people wanting images that they like, but there is so much more going on.”
– Matt Lodder
Not Just for Sailors and Scoundrels
While tattoos have long been associated with sailors, criminals, and general ne’er-do-wells, Lodder’s book aims to challenge these stereotypes. By shining a light on the overlooked history of elite tattooing, Tattoos: The Untold History reveals how a once-underground practice became a thriving global industry.
So the next time you spot a particularly striking tattoo, consider that the wearer may be following in the well-heeled footsteps of Victorian aristocrats. As a society tattooist once observed, “Tattooing has passed from the savage to the sailor, from the sailor to the landsman… It has received its credentials, and may now be found beneath many a tailored shirt.”
