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1800s-1900s Designs
Tattoo: The Mark of the Sailor
The close relationship between naval men and tattooing developed quickly after Cook's voyages to the South Pacific. By 1789, Captain William Bligh of the infamous Bounty (an armed transport in His Majesty's navy) reported that eighteen of the twenty-five mutineers, including ringleader Fletcher Christian, wore tattoos. Bligh described Christian as "strong made, a Star tattowed [sic] on his left breast." By the nineteenth century, getting a tattoo was very much part of being a sailor and belonging to the life of the sea.
At first, sailors' tattoos were drawn by native tattooists; then sailors began to tattoo each other aboard ship. Eventually professional tattoo parlors, many of them established by former sailors, appeared in port cities around the world. The practice became so entrenched among seamen that it is estimated that by the end of the nineteenth century 90 percent of all sailors in the United States Navy had tattoos.
Sailor’s Grave
Designs such as "Homeward Bound" and "Sailor's Grave" were popular with the tattoo artists of the "old school," many of whom were self-taught. The sailor's grave was often depicted as an anchor or eagle design perched above a sinking ship. Tattooers of the old school used black outlines, bright colors, and heavy shading.
Patriotic Symbols
Patriotic themes gained greatly in popularity during the Civil War. Tattoos commemorating the battle between the Monitor and the Virginia (formerly the Merrimack) and the Alabama and the Kearsarge began appearing on sailors' chests and backs. Flags and eagles became popular symbols. Gunners' mates often sported crossed cannons while boatswains wore anchors. Tattoos also reflected the navy's transition from sail to steam.
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