Sailors in particular are known for their decorated canvases of bodies. It is often said tattooing was first introduced to sailors after Captain Cook’s voyages to the South Seas. Here the men encountered the islanders with extensive tattoo designs, and the sailors were smitten.

Captain Cook himself undertook a systematic study of these designs and several of the sailors on his the voyages had themselves tattooed. Everything about the first sailor tattoos were simple.

They were marks of identification or affection. But gradually, and as things do with sailors, a superstition began to grow around tattoos. Different tattoo designs began to take on specific and often superstitious meanings. 

The first designs were very simple. They were extremely basic line drawings of anchors, mermaids, initials, crucifixes, love hearts, and patriotic symbols.  The location of tattoos was predominantly on the arms and hands, at least initially, but tattoos gradually spread over the whole body. 

SHOW NOTES:

:30 HOW SAILORS REVOLUTIONISED TATTOOS: SAMUAL O’REILLEY

1: 30 COOK & BLIGH’S DOCUMENTATION OF SAILOR’S TATTOOS

3:25 THE FIRST SAILOR TATTOO DESIGNS

3:45 MEANING BEHIND THE ORIGINAL SAILOR’S TATTOOS

4:20 THE FIRST TATTOOIST

4:50 HOW THE FIRST TATTOOS WERE APPLIED

6:10 PROFESSIONALS TATTOOIST SET UP

6:30 SAILOR JERRY

9:25 SAILOR’S SUPERSTITIOUS TATTOOS

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