The history of tattoos is a long one that goes back thousands of years. Ritual and tradition has always played an important role in their development. An example of this can be seen in Borneo where women used them as a means of identifying their individual skills. Many clans and tribes would use these symbols as a way to identify themselves as belonging to their group. It has also been common for people to use their tattoos as method to ward off disease or illness; they may do this by having a design on their finger or wrist.
The rationale behind tattoos has differed throughout the world and throughout time. If research is reliable then the earliest ones were used in Egypt at around the same time as the pyramids, but other research seems to indicate that they existed even prior to this time. The Egyptians are believed to have used tattoos as a way to set apart peasants and slaves from the rest of their population. After Egypt it is claimed that tattoos next appeared in China and then in Greece. The Greeks had an interesting way of using their secret tattoos as a means of communication between their undercover scouts. Tattoos were also found in early Japan. Here they were used as important part of the religious ceremonies.
Meanwhile in Borneo, the women of the tribe were given the responsibility of designing tattoos. They were able to create unique designs which were used to mark the passage of a tribe-members life; different tattoos would be added as the individual got older and made it through the different rites of passage. These Borneo designs were also used to signify the particular tribe that each person belonged to. Despite their huge popularity during this time period having a tattoo involved a lot of risk and infections were common. It would be many more years before getting a design on your body would involve less risk. These early designs were also far more simplistic than what we are used to today.
Tattoos also have a long history in the west as well; although they weren’t as well accepted as in other parts of the world. The use of body designs died out for a while but was then reintroduced by a famous explorer called William Dampher. He was able to raise the interest in tattoos by bringing a heavily tattooed prince to Europe and showing him off in demonstrations. This really piqued the interest of the public and consequently made Dampher a lot of money. His shows impressed people so much that it caused a revival of interest in body designs and soon people in places like London were sporting their own body art.
In the United States it is claimed that Chatham square in New York is the birthplace of the American style tattoo. At the beginning of the nineteenth century it was here that Americans flocked to get their body art; it seemed to really attract those who had a bit of spare cash. Samuel O’ Riley set up a tattoo parlor in the area and this became an increasingly popular venue for those interested in body designs. It was here that the first ever electric tattoo gun was put to use. Thomas Edison is credited with being the inspiration on the first tattoo gun as it involved adapting his design for a machine that punched holes in paper.
Many of the components of these early electric tattoo guns can be found in the ones we used today. Today, just as then, these guns are made up of a tube, a needle bar, and moving coils. The tattoo gun had an almost instant affect on the rise of body designs as a fashion item; the fact that they could now done quickly and cheaply won the art a lot of new supporters. It is likely that it was the invention of the tattoo gun that has led to its current popularity and continued development; it allowed tattoo artist to work faster and become more creative.
