Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art

by Carol Clerk

Tattoos have gone from badges of rebellion to fashion statements fully absorbed into mainstream culture. They are enjoying a renaissance, with graphic designers and artists creating specialty tattoos for a growing audience, unleashing a revival of interest in the bawdy vintage tattoo. Old school tattoos are being rediscovered (sometimes ironically, sometimes not) by a new generation. Originally embraced by rebels, sailors, and gangsters, these tattoos—broken hearts, naked girls, floral motifs, and maritime emblems—are now showing up on the fashion runway and in music videos. This book chronicles vintage motifs in thematic chapters interspersed with profiles of influential tattoo artists and their distinctive designs: Sailor Jerry Collins, Don Ed Hardy ("the Godfather of Tattoos"), Mike "Rollo Banks" Malone, Bert Grimm, Japan’s Horiyoshi III, and Shanghai’s Pinky Yun.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2008

Reviews

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Myös aika simppeleihin tatuointikuviin ja -symboleihin voi liittyä paljon taustatietoa. Tietty ajattomuus yhdistää tässä kirjassa esiteltyjä usean eri teeman mukaan luokiteltuja vintage-henkisiä kuvia, joilla on koristeltu ihoa jo 1800-luvulta lähtien. Kirjassa korostuu alan keskeisten taiteilijapersoonien rooli tatuoinnin välineiden ja tyylin kehittämisessä erityisesti sotien aikana ja vähän niiden jälkeen. Clerk tarkastelee jonkin verran tatuoinnin historiaa myös laajemmin kuin vain länsimaisesta näkökulmasta. Kiinnostavasti tatuoinnin historia on myös naisten historiaa, eikä ainoastaan pin-up -tyttöjen, vaan myös naispuolisten sirkustaiteilijoiden ja tatuoijien. Teosta voi suositella inspiraation lähteeksi kuvaa harkitsevalle, sillä historiatiedon lisäksi se sisältää runsaasti kuvamateriaalia.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty cool look at the evolution of tattooing, of mostly what is now known as the vintage style. Covering artists like Burchett and the original Sailor Jerry, this is not only a pictorial book but a pretty excellent source for historically accurate information on vintage tattooing and artists right through to modern tattooing of a bygone style.
I especially liked reading about all the women who were covered in tattoos from the 1920s and 1930s.
The Japanese influenced designs are probably my favourite vintage style.
Overall a pretty substantial publication for the industry and a great general reference for enthusiasts.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this. It's the perfect coffee table book really, something you can look through a million times and never get bored of all the crazy old school designs. It's a pretty short summary of all the most influential artists, dating back to the 1800's and whatnot. It'll definitely help you to gain a respect for the industry, by knowing the history of it. I only wish it was still the forties.

[Thomas Santomartino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for those wanting to know that history of tattooing. Especially if you're into traditional tattoos which have a long history and are still going strong, even though some other genres may be more or less popular at a particular time. Traditional tattoos never go out of style, someone, somewhere is always getting them. But even if you just want to know tattoo history, even if you don't like traditional it's a excellent resource full of photos and tattoo flash.

[Garrett Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks at vintage tattoos in that it discusses the early practitioners. It does not discuss much of the meaning behind American traditional tattoos. Think more general history. Still interesting but maybe not eBay I was looking for

[Anvar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about detailed history of old school tattoo movement with a plenty of great and bright flashes from gurus of this art.

[Brian Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

didn't think much of it, didn't have many or any nice images in it

[Jeffrey Dill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting introduction to the world of vintage tattoos and even a bit of a deep dive into tattoos as a whole.

[Carolyn James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becoming an increasingly more inked individual, I’ve become more and more fascinated with the history of tattoos. I’ve been drawn to exploring works with a more vintage feel so this book was right up my alley. I love that I learned the reasons people got certain types of ink in the past and was able to see what basic vintage designs look like. As tattooing becomes more mainstream and reasons for inking changes and styles expand, it’s always great to go back to the basics and learn some history. I hope in the future to get a piece inspired by some of the works in this book!

[Tiffany Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fairly comprehensive overview of the emergence and heyday of the traditional American tattoo medium. The quality of the photos of the old school flash is a delight to review on every page, the investigation of the symbolism is thorough, and the biographical notes on such greats as Bert Grimm, Capt Don Leslie and Sailor Jerry Collins make this the most comprehensive, yet concise, book on traditional American tattoo I've so far had the pleasure of reading.

[Chad Kerychuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up for research while working on a sci-fi TV series last year because it was relatively inexpensive, portable, and had a ton of images. Great reference book that focuses mostly on the Americana-style vintage tattoos. While I'm sure there are other reference books out there, this is a decent one to have on hand.

[Sarah Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

all i can say is Awsome. It was so cool to read about the history of the artists who brought tattoos into modern north america. The style the meanings, everything about it was interesting. I really liked learning and just enjoying.

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a brief overview of tattoo history, some of the well known artists and lot of picture of artists' designs. This was a pretty quick read, and had some interesting info.

[dyanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! So much history behind women expressing themselves and how society reacts.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Features quite a detailed history of the "old school" tattoo era with plenty of pictures & examples to illustrate.