Body Arts

Tattoo Famous Patrons

The lore of tattooing knows no bound. Throughout history, many western monarchs have been tattooed. Today, pop stars and professional athletes are covered in tattoos and often show them off to the cameras for all to see. Let’s look at a few historical, famous patrons who paved the way for social acceptance of the art.

-  King Frederick IX of Denmark (1899–1972). King Frederick was the King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972. As a sailor, King Frederick was heavily tattooed and thus reinforced the tradition of sailors having tattoos and Nyhavn, Copenhagen as a hot spot for getting them.
- The Great Omi (1892–1969). The great Omi was a British army officer before becoming one of the world’s most famous “Barbaric Beauties.”
-  King George V (1865–1936). In 1882, when King George was still a duke, he was tattooed by Hori Chyo.

Tattoo Commercialism
Tattooing has become so popular and socially accepted that it has become highly marketable. Miami Ink, a reality TV show about a tattoo shop on South Beach, has broadened the acceptance of tattooing. Many corporations such as Camel cigarettes are using tattoo designs in their advertisement campaigns to reach customers.

Ed Hardy, one of the pioneers of tattooing, even has his own energy drink and clothing line. Christian Audigier, who also made Von Dutch a household name, runs Ed Hardy Vintage Tattoo Wear. Ed Hardy Vintage Tattoo Wear is geared toward high-end fashion and has numerous pop stars such as Lil Jon featured in its advertisements.

Prints and Paintings
To be a great tattooist, you have to be a great artist. Many tattooists are involved in other mediums such as oil or ink painting. This gives tattooists another way to express themselves and an opportunity to work on a canvas that doesn’t move. If you can’t get a tattoo, you can always buy it as a painting or print.
At events such as The New York City Upstarts Show (held every year in May during the NYC Tattoo Convention) or in stores like Tattoo Elite International, fans buy prints from amazing tattooists such as Mike Rubendall and Henning Jorgensen. Prints are great because they won’t break your bank account to purchase, but you can still have a beautiful piece of artwork to hang on your wall.

The Least You Need to Know
-  Tattooing has been a part of human culture for over 10,000 years.
-  In tribal cultures, tattooing was used to show the social status of an individual.
-  The beginning of western tattooing came from the sailors who explored the South Pacific.
-  Sailor Jerry Collins and Ed Hardy played an important role in the modernization of tattooing by building international correspondences.
-  Tattooing is becoming more of a fine art with the development of custom tattoos and the buying and selling of tattoo-influenced art.