THE HISTORY
Old School tattooing developed through the interaction between traditional Polynesian tattoo art and its influence on American sailors in the 1950s, becoming what we now know as the traditional tattoo.
The man considered the artist and creator of this style is
Norman Keith Collins, who went down in tattoo history with the nickname
Sailor Jerry. He was an innovator who transformed the ancient art of tattooing so completely that we can now divide it into two “eras”:
pre-Sailor Jerry and
post-Sailor Jerry.
His influence in this field was phenomenal; obviously, his greatest contribution was in design, despite being a major pioneer and innovator of the entire art form, from sterilization and improving needles to discovering new pigments.
Collins was born in Reno, Nevada, but grew up in Northern California. In his late teens, he began traveling, and in the late 1920s, he met Tatts Thomas in Chicago, who taught him how to use a tattoo machine; he considers Thomas his first mentor.
It is said that during his time in Chicago, Thomas was the one who found him his first “guinea pigs” to tattoo, recruited from the city’s slums for a glass of wine.
At the age of 19, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He traveled by sea for several years before finally settling in the Hawaiian Islands, where he began his historic and legendary career as a tattoo artist by opening his tattoo shop, where he almost exclusively tattooed American sailors passing through the islands.
That’s why many of the subjects found in Old School tattoos relate to the sea and the world of sailing.
Some examples:
Anchors, sailing ships, mermaids, swallows, pin-ups, hearts, etc.
SOME EXAMPLES
The
anchor in tattooing represents
safety and
stability.
The
eagle represents
honor,
prowess,
courage, and
intelligence.
One of the most common tattoos is the
heart, which has always been a symbol of
love and
family. Sailors used it to keep their distant loved ones close during long voyages.
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The
swallows are often associated with
returning. This comes from their famous migration to warmer countries.
In the past, it was also believed that if a sailor died at sea, swallows (or birds in general) would carry his soul back home.
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In the past, sailors used the stars as
landmarks for navigation. This concept is also reflected in traditional tattooing:
nautical stars are like
guiding spirits and represent coming home.
The
skull, besides symbolizing
death and the
fleeting nature of life, represents the various
choices we make and their consequences.
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Mermaids and pin-ups: sailors would leave their loved ones and wives for months; to remember them and keep them close, they often asked for their portraits to be tattooed. This is how the iconic pin-up figure was born.
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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The Old School style is immediately recognizable.
Strong, bold black lines, and the almost total absence of shading and shadows, except for small dots that give the subject a two-dimensional feel.
The colors used are limited, mostly to the basics: red, black, and yellow.
These technical characteristics were determined by the fact that the first tattoos were made with rudimentary machines and the available colors were limited.
Old School tattooing is also a great starting point for those beginning to explore this art; in fact, many students at the school choose this style for their first tattoo.
If you’re also interested in starting your journey in this world, check out our courses and contact us to find your ideal path!!!
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