Interesting facts about tattoos. The most interesting facts about tattoos Interesting articles about tattoos

It's no secret that tattoos have become especially popular in recent years. Many men use them to create a decisive, bold and unique image, to emphasize the desire for creativity and a whole range of hobbies. Women resort to the services of tattoo artists, as a rule, in order to attract the attention of the stronger sex, to give the body the properties of sexuality, romance and visual attractiveness.

First of all, tattoos are in demand among the gothic and biker communities. The shape of the permanent design can be very different, ranging from birds, dragons, angels and snakes to exclusive crosses and hearts. In any case, tastefully chosen, original and visually impressive - it is always fashionable, stylish and beautiful. Modern tattoos arouse special curiosity about other people. Moreover, if their owner is interesting as a person.

The idea of ​​​​applying creative patterns to the human body arose in primitive times. In the Russian language, the word “tattoo” appeared after the visit of the great navigator, James Cook, to the island of Tahiti. Today, permanent and cosmetic permanent designs are common primarily among various youth groups for the purpose of self-expression. Experts quite rightly classify tattoos as body art and consider them a special type of avant-garde art.

10 interesting facts about tattoos

1. During the period of settlement of the Slavic tribes, permanent designs most often decorated women. Then they played the role of a kind of amulet that protected the keepers of the hearth from troubles.
2. President Kennedy had a tattoo of a turtle on his shoulder, which he removed following his wife's instructions. The fact is that the turtle design was suitable for sailors who crossed the equator. According to statistics at the beginning of the 19th century, almost all sailors in the US Navy had tattoos. Another American figure, W. Churchill, could boast of a high-quality drawing in the shape of an anchor.
3. Most religions are against tattooing. The exception to the rule is Catholicism. Representatives of the Catholic Church even specially applied characteristic patterns in the form of a cross or crucifix to the bodies of the natives in order to prevent them from switching to another religion in advance.

In addition, today tattooing is not prohibited in most Christian movements. Masters of this genre put into practice images of canonical texts and the most important events from the Holy Scriptures. In some churches, the drawing can be blessed.

1. In the families of English kings, permanent drawings have become in demand since 1862. It was then that the future ruler Edward VII received an image of a cross on his hand. Prince Charles got a tattoo before his wedding to Diana. Well, King Harold had a special craving for tattoos, since almost his entire body was literally strewn with scenes of exciting military battles.
2. In Japan, geishas were rightfully considered to be ardent supporters of tattoos, for whom they played the role of evidence indicating the presence of love. Other evidence that convincingly confirmed love included cutting nails, little fingers and hair, as well as drawing up a special oath.
3. The owner of the most erotic tattoo is Joseph Kobzon. The phrase “I will not forget my dear mother!”, engraved on the body of a well-known pop singer, played important role in his career.
4. If we talk about obscene tattoos, then the first place here, of course, goes to a conscript from the United States, who made a drawing on the edge of his right palm during the war in Vietnam. Unfortunately, the owner of the peculiar tattoo did not enlist in the army, because... as soon as they saluted him, they immediately saw the image.
5. The record holder for the maximum number of tattoos is in Scotland. Basically, his entire body is covered in a leopard skin-shaped pattern. Only the inside of the ears and the area between the toes are free from images.
6. The tattoo area of ​​the popular singer Victoria Beckham is one of the most seductive parts of her body – the buttocks. It is noteworthy that the tattoos represent the names of people close to her, including her husband, both sons and her own name. Considering that in the future the celebrity is going to give birth to several more children, apparently she should take care of changing the place for placing the tattoo.
7. It is curious that at different times even the great Einstein, Nicholas II and Stalin decided to apply tattoos.

Today you won’t surprise anyone with tattoos. However, they still cause mixed feelings. Whatever they say about them! We will tell you the most interesting things.

People began decorating their bodies with permanent images more than 4 thousand years ago, as evidenced by excavations Egyptian pyramids. However, a tattoo was used before - in primitive society to designate a tribe, clan, social affiliation, and also as a totemic amulet. The first official sources about tattoos described designs from Polynesia, hence the name, “tattoo” - from the word “tattoo”, which means “drawing”. James Cook pointed out the existence of tattoos in his notes around the world in 1773. It is noteworthy that in Europe tattooing existed before this moment, but did not have a recognized name and was not widespread. By the way, in Russia the first famous connoisseur of tattoos would be Leo Tolstoy’s uncle Fyodor Tolstoy, an American.

Tattoos in Rus'

Arab diplomat Ibn Fadlan in a message of 921-922. wrote about the Rus “And from the edge of the nail (nails) of one of them (Rus) to his neck (there is) a collection of trees and images (things, people?) and the like...” True, his “Rus” are more likely Scandinavians. It is noteworthy that tattoos in Rus' were more often worn by women. Images of amulets were applied to their bodies.

The roots of Russian tattoos go back to pagan times, when applying a design to the body was a kind of ritual and an integral part of magical rites. After the formation of Kievan Rus, the tattoo lost its original meaning, and from the moment of Baptism it was completely prohibited as an attribute of the pagan faith. It was only during the time of Peter I that the art of tattooing began to be revived as an artistic practice.

Japanese geisha

Initially, the tattoo of a Japanese geisha served a practical function - bypassing the ban on nudity. Ornate patterns created the illusion of being covered with fabric with multi-colored designs. Only the palms, face, neck and feet remained “naked”. A special variety japanese tattoos there were kakushi-boro, created by rubbing rice powder into the cuts. Such tattoos appeared on a hot body, while in a normal state and at a normal temperature they were barely noticeable. In addition, a geisha tattoo could be one of the five proofs of love (the other four are cutting hair, nails, writing an oath of love and fidelity, and even cutting off the little finger).

Famous tattooed

Contrary to the opinion of tattoos as an attribute of a subculture, many famous personalities decorated their bodies with drawings. Emperor Nicholas II had a sword and a dragon on his chest, and later his wife’s name was added to them. Winston Churchill wore a design of an anchor on his body, and his mother had the image of a narrow bracelet tattooed on her wrist, which could be hidden behind a more massive accessory. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, had a large tattoo of his family crest on his chest (pictured).

But our contemporary, Joseph Kobzon, once had “I will not forget my own mother” written on his shoulder in blue ink; later the artist got rid of this inscription. According to unconfirmed reports, tattoos were on the bodies of Albert Einstein, Catherine II, Peter I and Joseph Stalin.

Most tattooed

Currently, several cases of fanatical body decoration with tattoos have been recorded in the world. The most famous tattoo fan is Australian Lucky Diamond Rich, who spent about 1000 hours covering his body with tattoos (pictured).

Rick Genest, aka the zombie man, endured a 24-hour body painting session. Denis Avner, the cat man, went even further, in addition to tattoos, “decorating” his body and face with piercings and multiple implants. Leopard man Tom Leppard, lizard man Eric Sprague and zebra man Horace Ridler were also noted among the followers of transformations. And Julia Gnuse is considered the most tattooed lady, and the woman began to cover her body with drawings not out of a whim, but because of a rare skin disease that injured the skin, leaving scars all over Julia’s body.

Tattoo and church

Information about negative attitude Christian Church views on tattoos are not always truthful. For example, when accepting natives into their religion, Catholics painted images of crosses on their bodies. It was believed that having a tattoo, a person would no longer be able to convert to another faith. The Catholic Church not only does not prohibit, but also promotes the application of religious tattoos with a church slant - at the moment there are about a hundred officially registered associations in the world where you can get a church tattoo and even consecrate it immediately after application. The Orthodox Church nevertheless classifies a tattoo as a move into paganism and has a negative attitude towards this kind of decoration. If the body is the temple of God, then inscriptions and drawings on it can be interpreted as mockery.

Magnetic resonance imaging

You often hear that MRI is contraindicated if you have a tattoo on your body. This is true when using inks containing metal enzymes. The fact is that the magnetic rays of the tomograph attract metal particles in the paint, which causes unpleasant painful sensations. In addition, these particles can cause distortion of artifacts and affect scanning results.

In modern salons, paint with metal enzymes is used extremely rarely. If your tattoo is more than 20 years old, then there are no metal particles in it. But if you have doubts and concerns, choose an alternative - ultrasonography or computed tomography. They are recommended to patients with metal implants or pacemakers.

Sponsored tattoos

This marketing ploy has spread relatively recently - from the moment when tattoos were already accepted by the broad masses of citizens. In 2013, the management of the real estate company Rapid Realty offered its employees an unprecedented deal - a raise wages 15% to those who dare to tattoo the company logo on their body.

Some lovers of “easy money” make a living in this simple way. For example, amateur boxer Billy Gibby has more than two dozen tattoos on his body and face, which allow him to pay the bills without extra work. In addition to the Free Tax Service logo, Billy's body features several links to porn sites and the Host Gator company logo.

Tattoos have been around for thousands of years. And the attitude towards them different cultures and in different time was different. Today, although images on the body are considered works of art, many people associate them with the underground. Our review contains the most interesting and little-known historical facts about tattoos.

25. Tattoos of the mummy Ötzi

The most ancient famous tattoos. On inside a black cross was tattooed on his left knee, six straight lines on his lower back, and parallel lines on his ankles, legs and wrists. When scientists scanned the mummy's body, they discovered joint diseases under many of the tattoos. This led them to believe that these tattoos were intended to relieve pain.

24. Ancient tattoo tools

Archaeologists have discovered tools in France, Portugal and Scandinavia that were probably used for tattooing. They are at least twelve thousand years old - that is, they date back to the last Ice Age.

23. Just TA

The word "tattoo" comes from the Polynesian word "ta", which describes the sound of a tattoo needle hitting the skin. The first written mention of the word "tattoo" appears in the works of Joseph Banks, the naturalist aboard Captain Cook's ship. Until then, Europeans called tattoos the words “marks” or “prices”.

22. Polynesian tattoos

Polynesian tattoos are considered the most skillful. To be more precise, those that existed before the arrival of Europeans in the South Pacific.

21. Ancient methods of tattoo removal

Ancient tattoo removal methods include using scum from the bottom of a pot mixed with very strong vinegar or pigeon feces mixed with vinegar. This mixture was used as a poultice "for a long time."

IN modern days, With the development of science and technology, laser surgery is considered the most effective and popular way to remove a tattoo. Laser light penetrates the skin and breaks down tattoo pigments so that they are removed naturally with the help of the body's immune system. Black is the easiest color to remove because it absorbs more laser light. Green and yellow tattoos are more difficult to remove.

19. Tattoos of the ancient Greeks

The Greeks learned the art of tattooing from the Persians and used tattoos to mark slaves and criminals (so they could be easily identified if they escaped). The Romans adopted this practice from the Greeks and tattooed "FuG" ("fugitive") on the foreheads of slaves.

18. Caligula - tattoo designer

Caligula is known as one of the craziest Roman emperors of all time. He amused himself by ordering his associates to get ridiculous tattoos.

In 787, Pope Hadrian I banned tattoos of any kind, even on criminals and gladiators. From this point on, tattooing was virtually unknown in most Western European countries until the nineteenth century.

16. Tattoo as revenge

Tattooing was viewed negatively in Eastern Europe, and to be more precise, in the Byzantine Empire. Tradition says that the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus took revenge on two monks who publicly criticized him by ordering eleven obscene verses to be tattooed on their foreheads.

Although tattoos have been seen on paintings and statues of both men and women in Egyptian art, all tattooed Egyptian mummies discovered to date are female. Egyptologists believe that these tattoos were symbols of fertility, virginity and rejuvenation.

14. Tattoo in the air

Rock star Tommy Lee entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2007. He became the first person to be tattooed in the air during a private flight to Miami.

13. One of the most popular tattoos

Continuing the theme of Tommy Lee, his ex-wife Pamela Anderson was responsible for the rise in popularity of bracelet tattoos in the late 90s. She was the first celebrity in Malibu to get such a tattoo.

12. Tattoos are not for the poor

From the mid-eighteenth century to the early twentieth century, tattoos were especially popular among the English and Russian nobility. They were so expensive that only rich people could afford tattoos. As tattoos became more accessible, they were considered "improper" until their renaissance in the mid-twentieth century.

11. Yakuza tattoos

Although most gang members receive "honorary" tattoos, the most famous of all criminal tattoos are those of the Japanese Yakuza mafia. Its members wear intricate and traditional patterns all over their bodies (most often hidden by clothing) as a sign of their allegiance to the mafia.

10. The invention of the tattoo machine

Samuel O'Reilly

The man who invented tattoo machines in 1891 was a New York tattoo artist named Samuel O'Reilly. His invention was based on a document copying machine invented by Thomas Edison.

Officially, doctors say that HIV can hypothetically be transmitted through tattoo needles. However, there are no reports of cases of the disease being transmitted through tattooing.

8. The snake is for the mother, the anchor is for the son

Winston Churchill's mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, had a snake tattoo around her wrist. At official receptions, she covered it with a diamond bracelet. Churchill himself had an anchor tattooed on his forearm.

7. Tattoos for women and men

According to a 2012 survey, there are more tattooed women than men in the United States (23% and 19%, respectively). Women are twice as likely to have tattoos removed than men.

6. At least one tattoo

About 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo. Americans also spend more money on tattoos than any other nationality (approximately $1.65 billion per year).

After Lindbergh's kidnapping in 1932, many parents across America began getting tattoos for their children. Allegedly, this was done to make it easier to recognize the child if he got lost or was kidnapped.

4. Tattoos and sexual activity

Recent studies have shown that adults with tattoos are more sexually active than those without. The same studies also show that adults who have tattoos are more likely to commit a crime.

The most tattooed man in the world is Gregory Paul McLaren, also known as "Lucky Diamond Rich." His body is 100 percent covered in tattoos, including his foreskin, mouth and ears.

2. "The Guy with the Disney Tattoos"

George S. Reiger, also known as "The Disney Tattoo Guy," has over one thousand Disney tattoos, including all 101 Dalmatians. He had to get special permission from Disney to get the tattoo because all images are copyrighted.

1. Just one point

For those who are planning to get a tattoo in the near future, there is one nuance worth knowing. During tattooing, the skin will be pierced with needles approximately 50 to 3,000 times per minute, depending on the shape and size of the tattoo.

Tattoos have been around for thousands of years. And the attitude towards them was different in different cultures and at different times. Today, although images on the body are considered works of art, many people associate them with the underground. Our review contains the most interesting and little-known historical facts about tattoos.

25. Tattoos of the mummy Ötzi

The oldest known tattoos were found on the body of Ötzi's mummy (3300-3200 BC), which was preserved surprisingly intact in the ice. A black cross was tattooed on the inside of his left knee, six straight lines on his lower back, and parallel lines on his ankles, legs and wrists. When scientists scanned the mummy's body, they discovered joint diseases under many of the tattoos. This led them to believe that these tattoos were intended to relieve pain.

24. Ancient tattoo tools

23. Just TA

22. Polynesian tattoos

21. Ancient methods of tattoo removal

19. Tattoos of the ancient Greeks

18. Caligula - tattoo designer

16. Tattoo as revenge

14. Tattoo in the air

13. One of the most popular tattoos

12. Tattoos are not for the poor

11. Yakuza tattoos

10. The invention of the tattoo machine

Samuel O'Reilly

8. The snake is for the mother, the anchor is for the son

7. Tattoos for women and men

6. At least one tattoo

2. "The Guy with the Disney Tattoos"

1. Just one point

Especially for those who have not yet decided on their first (or next) tattoo.

Can tattoos be called exclusively a fashion of our time? Hardly. In fact, tattoos played a big role in the good old days and were done by very important historical figures. People love to decorate themselves. While actors and actresses got designs on their bodies, there were many other people who got permanent tattoos and proudly showed them off to everyone.

10. Bromide, whiskey and cocaine

Society of women in the late 1800s adored tattoos but had an aversion to pain. To overcome the fear of needles, a special cocktail was prepared in advance. First, women took bromide to calm their nerves. If desired, bromide could be added to a glass of whiskey. When a woman felt ready for the procedure, the tattoo artist (usually a woman in high society) would produce a bottle of liquid cocaine. Using a small sponge, he would apply cocaine to the area to be tattooed.

This helped numb the skin and the solution was applied again and again until the tattoo was completed. Usually there were tattoos small size, and they were made on the woman's hand, where she could hide them with a long glove if she wanted. Common tattoos for women in 1899 included a shamrock, a heart, or a favorite pet.

9. Great War Tattoos

Photo: The Day Book

The First World War was underway and women wanted to show their support for the men fighting the war. By 1915, there was a trend for women to visit tattoo artists and get tattoos on their skin. The usual place for a tattoo was the shoulder. English women had no qualms about showing their support and love for the people they loved and admired.

Meanwhile, soldiers who were captured by the Germans were given tattoos of a different kind. One day a prisoner escaped from a German camp. In an effort to quickly identify escaped prisoners in the future, all prisoners were tattooed “Kr-Gef” on their arms, and a year of imprisonment was also added. The letters are the German abbreviation of the word "prisoner of war".

8. Chin tattoos

According to the Reverend Arthur Ranier of New Zealand, women faced a serious problem of how to resist the temptation to cheat on their husbands. They were ready to deceive their husbands, and something had to be done in this situation.
In 1908, Reverend Ranier decided that it would be better for everyone if a woman, after marriage, got a tattoo on her chin that would indicate that she was married. This, in his opinion, would put an end to divorces and prevent women from cheating with other men.

Fortunately, not everyone fell for this nonsense. As one newspaper asked: “For what scientific reason does the divine idiot conclude that this will stop the march to the left?” In fact, most cases of infidelity in the early 1900s found that the partner was also responsible for the infidelity, sometimes entirely. An ordinary tattoo on the chin could not extinguish the fire that burned in the hearts and loins.

7. Vaccination and bullet scars

Ben Corday opened a small tattoo shop in Louisiana in 1922 and gave a newspaper interview about his unusual trade. His views on who gets tattoos and what images are inked proves that not much has changed in the world of tattoos. For example, they made tattoos on their fingers that depicted their initials. Often the clients were sailors who wanted to have an image made on their hand pretty girl, or a patriotic tattoo.

Sometimes the artist was asked to perform aesthetic work and replace a scarred eyebrow with a tattoo. Corday gave scar-covering tattoos to women. Vaccine scars were a big problem for women in the 1920s, and a tattoo artist said he would hide vaccine marks under a tiny flower or butterfly design. One of the most unique tattoos of those times was the laurel wreath. Soldiers returning from battle with bullet marks on their bodies might have a laurel wreath tattooed around the wound to show victory over death.

6. Tattoo removal using milk and a toothpick

Photo: Evening Star

It was believed that this method had long been used by sailors to get rid of unwanted tattoos, but soon criminals began to use it to get rid of marks on the skin and avoid justice. According to the naval experience that many made fun of in 1899, the best way To get rid of a tattoo was to use milk and a toothpick. According to one participant, the process was painful.

To remove the ink, a toothpick was poked into the skin at the tattoo site many times and then the milk was allowed to soak into the skin to remove the ink. As a result, the area became crusty and a scar formed. Criminals who wanted to deceive the police could do over new tattoo, and if they were later caught, they would be able to deny their involvement in what they are accused of.

Photo: V.G./The Seattle Star

What is a sailor without at least one tattoo of a naked woman? Apparently, such tattoos were extremely popular in 1917, when the Secretary of the US Navy Josephus Daniels decided that people with such tattoos could not serve in the Navy. navy. At that time it was just a disaster because the first World War.

Many former naval personnel and old sailors wanted to enlist, feeling that it was their civic duty and that they had valuable skills that they could pass on to younger enlistees. In response to Secretary Daniels' decision, the Navy League offered to help these people. The idea was to pay tattoo artists to cover up naked ladies with skirts and dresses, but Daniels disagreed. Instead, he decided that if these seniors wanted to return to the Navy, they would have to spend their own money to cover up their obscene tattoos.

4. Permanent blush

Photo: The Washington Times

Permanent blush on the cheeks was considered very fashionable in London, and very little time later, in 1920, the trend reached New York. Women lined up to get a healthy glow. At that time, with the help of a specialist, they could remove and shape the eyebrows beautiful shape, which would remain constant.

Bright lip tattoos were also very popular, and many older women felt that Permanent makeup helps them look younger. All this became possible thanks to the invention of the electric needle. Hand-drawn tattoos were too patchy to be used as makeup, but the electric needle allowed control of how deep the pigment penetrated the skin, and new pigments allowed tattoo artists to choose a much wider palette of colors than blue and red.

3. Identification

Sailors and sailors knew well that tattoos were a way to identify their bodies if the worst happened. During World War I, some soldiers had their names tattooed on their bodies because they knew that the identification tags they were issued could easily be lost in the explosions that were part of the terrifying experience of trench combat. According to one interesting story published in 1908, a homeless man was identified by his tattoo after his death.

The story goes that the embalmer, Mr. Oakley, had to piece together the pieces of a hobo who had been run over by a train in Kansas. When Oakley looked at the remaining pieces of the man, he realized he couldn't put the poor guy back together for identification purposes. Luckily Oakley had a keen eye and noticed the tattoo on the skin. Oakley cut and cleaned the tattooed piece and then processed it in a special way to preserve and identify the remains. The homeless man's body parts were then buried. At first it was difficult to see the tattoo on the preserved skin, but then it was not difficult.

One day an elderly couple came to look at a piece of tattooed skin. Seeing her, the man and woman could not contain their emotions. It was a tattoo inked on the body of their wayward son they were looking for. They took their son's remains with them to California, where they could be buried on a plot they owned.

2. Anarchist tattoos

Photo: The Logan Republican

While women dreamed of getting a lily tattoo on their arm, anarchists wanted to tattoo special images. A 1903 report stated that many anarchists, rather than displaying their personal views to friends or neighbors, got garish tattoos so that other anarchists could recognize them. More surprising is the fact that almost all the tattoos associated with anarchists were images associated with physical labor and were not artistic at all. Some tattoos contained a hammer and anvil.

Criminologists believed that the reason anarchist tattoos depicted the tools of a working man was that "as a rule, anarchists are good workers, thrifty and rarely given to frivolous behavior."
Despite their good work ethic, anarchists were banned in Europe at this time. Their only safe havens were in England and the United States, where they could meet and discuss their ideas without fear of being discovered and arrested by the police. Anarchists weren't the only secret group in the early 1900s whose members got tattoos. A number of tattoo artists have admitted that they believed in the existence of secret societies, as it often happened that different people and demanded tattoos of a certain design that had never been used for this before.

1. Monogram on the dog

Photo: Wood County Reporter

It's hard to believe that sailors and society women adorned themselves with tattoos in 1988. Some people have gone further and started decorating their dogs with tattoos. It became fashion trend tattoo a monogram with the owner’s initials on the dog’s body. Usually the tattoo was placed on the dog's chest, just below the collarbone, so that it could be seen by everyone.

Ingoda, a complex ornament in the form of curls was pinned around the monogram to highlight it. One article stated that "the process of getting a tattoo is usually painful," but the dog endures the pain to "look better." While it is now easy to blame dog owners for cruelty, we must also remember that they helped develop the very lucrative business of tattoo artists, who could visit the homes of wealthy citizens and offer them dog tattooing services for the same price as a human tattoo.