Tattoo Shop, Books, and Supply
Welcome to ZGTattoo.com! Tattoo’s have become extremely popular over the last few decades and there are many factors that go into getting the perfect tattoo. We have the latest information on everything from how to pick the best tattoo shop, to the best tattoo books and even tattoo kits that beginning artists can purchase. If you have a question about anything tattoo, our site can answer it! ZGTattoo.com does not promote any one product or method. Our mission is simply to provide you with enough information to enable you to have the best tattoo experience possible. Whether you are seeking to get the perfect tattoo, or wish to become the best tattoo artist in your area, we have great information for you. Feel free to explore ZGTattoo.com to find the answers to all your tattoo questions and don’t forget to come back often to check for updates!
The word tattoo is derived from the Tahitian word tatau, when translated to English means ‘to mark something’. The exact origin of tattoos is still unknown, but traces of them date as far back as 2000 BC in China. In the more than the 4000 years that have passed since then, tattoos have spread around the world and are present in almost every culture. In the 1900s they were introduced to America and since then they have become a popular trend within our society. Tattoos should be looked at as an art form, not a rebellious action, their popularity spans farther than that of modern America. They date back thousands of years and have different meanings in all different cultures, a large majority of those meanings are not negative.
Tattooing has existed in many cultures worldwide in some form for thousands of years. As the technique and depiction of tattooing changes from culture to culture, so does what it represents. There is not much evidence left from ancient cultures to show how tattooing was done or for what reasons; however, we do know that tattooing was practiced from depictions from the past and physical evidence. There is no documentation about the reasons behind tattooing in any ancient culture. Though some people will argue that it was for religious reasons while others will that it was for luck or health or to show status. There is also no standard for designs within tattoos. They have a large range from culture to culture. Tattoos that have been discovered range from those of animals, dots, lines, even patterns that show no other meaning besides an art form on the body.
There are drawings in Egyptian literature depicting people with images tattooed on their body. Tattooed lines of dots and dashes were found on a mummified Ancient Egyptian priestess. The best evidence we have establishing ancient tattoos rests in mummies found in various parts of the world. The oldest tattooed mummy was found frozen in a glacier in the Alps and dated back to 3000 BC. On his body were a number of various tattooed lines and stripes. Between the years of 1766 to 1779 English Capitan James Cook and his men made several trips to the South Pacific. They returned with tales of the ‘tattooed savages’ they had seen. Many of Cook’s sailors actually returned to England tattooed, and Cook even went as far as to bring back a Tahitian chief that he presented to King George and the English court. After Cook’s death, English sailors continued to make voyages to the Pacific and return with the extreme body art. They myth of tattooing was held by the English Court for more than a century. King George V was actually so intrigued by the myths, he made it a reality, when he traveled to the Middle East in 1892 and returned with a tattoo.
Tattoos spread quickly throughout Europe’s upper class King Frederick IX of Denmark, Kaiser Wilhelm II King of Romania, King Alexander of Yugoslavia, and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia all had tattoos. Many of these tattoos were elaborate, some of them crests, all of them black, and all went unnoticed by the public. Not only Europe’s royalty was tattooed, but the social elite would often hold parties simply to display their tattoos to each other. Eventually tattoos caught on with those in the lower class and people starting to practice the technique of giving tattoos. It is unknown how tattoos made the jump across the Atlantic to North America, but they do have a large American connection. In 1891 Thomas Edisons invention of the autographic printer was tweaked by Samuel O’Reily to invent the first tattoo gun by simply adding a tube and a needles. This technique made tattoos readily avalible and simply accomplished worldwide. Soon after O’Riley formed the first tattoo business in New York, New York, he called the establishment a “tattoo parlor” and the name stuck. That is when tattoos started to gain large exposure among society, though not many people had them. It wasn’t until the 1940’s when soldiers started getting “pledge tattoos”, which consisted of their military division and usually an eagle, that tattoos were considered mainstream. From there, the popularity of Tattoos grew and society started to transform their meanings. Since the 1960’s there has been an increased number of females getting tattoos as opposed to the masculine military background it once represented in America.