The History of American Tattoos

American tattooing

Early American tattoos tended to be memorial tattoos. During the Civil War, tattoo artists often worked near battlefields, creating tattoos in memory of fallen soldiers and comrades, the military life, and American patriotism in general.

It wasn’t until 1891 when Samuel O’Reily patented his tattoo machine in New York that tattoos truly grew in popularity among the general public in America, however. Using Edison’s ‘electric pen’ design, O’Reily’s creation allowed everyone to get a tattoo. This was both good and bad; the average man was more likely to get tattoos, but tattooing in the upper class began to become less popular since it was no longer a status symbol.

via History of Tattoos.