Tattooing at sea
During the crossings, the time was long and the boredom present. The sailors, to keep busy, therefore tattooed themselves on board. They used smoke black (a carbonaceous residue obtained by the incomplete combustion of various carbon-rich organic materials) as a pigment, which they diluted with water, and implanted it with several needles.
But hygiene on board ships was poor and infections could quickly occur. It is because of this unhygienic practice that marine doctors will become interested in getting ready for tattooing. They will study during the first half of the 19th century.
Marine Tattooing in the United States
Americans sublimated and spread tattooing, thanks in particular to the sailors of the US Navy, who wore it as their uniform, as early as the 19th century. According to studies conducted during this period, up to 90% of US Navy sailors were tattooed at the beginning of the 20th century eST PRIS DANS LE GROS TEMPS, ET TANGUE DE GAUCHE ?ROITE, SECOUÉ PAR LES VAGUES. UN HOMME, SANS DOUTE UN PÊCHEUR QUI PARTICIPE À UNE SESSION DE PÊCHE SPORTIVE, PASSE PAR-DESSUS BORD, DE MANIÈRE ASSEZ IMPRESSIONNANTE. century. It is less powerful and especially less physical than modern skiffs such as the RS 600, RS 700 or the Musto Skiff. But for all that, it's also fun!
During the 20th century, the first tattoo parlours appeared in the United States, established by seafarers. The "old school" tattoo, very popular in 1920 and until the 1940s, was practiced there, largely because of the sailors.
It is characterized by large and thick designs and lines, very colorful to ensure its longevity. Indeed, the techniques, tools and inks are very different from what we can do today, and there is no question of refinement.
The stencil technique is used, which consists of cutting the acetate drawing, rubbing it with charcoal powder and then applying it to the skin.
New York became the capital of sea tattooing, where sailors returned from their travels to display the drawings that adorn their skin by telling their travel stories. It is almost part of the sailor's uniform and history.
One of the most famous tattoo artists of this period was Sailor Jerry Collins. Engaged in the American navy, he discovered the art of tattooing during his travels in Polynesia, before settling in Hawaii to open his own salon. It quickly became a reference for sailors and the old school tattoo.
Seafarer tattoos in Europe
While Anglo-Saxons are quickly adopting the tradition of "tattooing" to tell their memories and the places they have visited, this is not the case in Latin countries. Indeed, in France, Italy or Spain, tattooing is synonymous with "con", whereas for Americans, it is a matter of sailor, and this since the end of the 18th century.
As in the United States and France, it was military doctors who became interested in tattoos in 1853, fearing epidemics, the transmission of diseases or even infections because of the basic hygienic conditions on board ships. They were concerned that the crews would no longer be able to navigate.
If almost all American sailors are tattooed, they are much less so in France. If there was a movement at the beginning of the 19th century, the image of the prisoner has taken over. Tattooing has become part of the criminologists' field of study and many people have stopped tattooing. Those who continued to do so kept an image of a hothead or adventurer.
