Victorian Tattoos

Victorian tattoos was something that was not confined to sailors and soldiers and the first tattoos were not blue dragons. Tattooing is an ancient art form that has been around for thousands of years and given Britain’s empire years, the English came across many cultures around the world who engaged in tattooing as a cultural practice. Queen Victoria’s son, Edward VII, who would later become and define the Edwardian age of the twentieth century, got his first tattoo of a Jewish cross by artist Francois Souwan when the prince visited Jerusalem. Victorian tattooing was not just for sailors and soldiers, but also for noblemen, but they took caution not to show off their body art in public. Lucky for them, the full Victorian clothing ensemble from head to toe allowed them to conceal their body ink easily. Victorian tattoos among sailors have usually been figures of predatory animals such as eagles, dragons and other creatures with wings denoting a sense of freedom on the open seas. They would get tattoos of ship anchors with elaborate designs or a symbol of their national flag.

Heavy Victorian tattoos would only be seen on criminals or people who were in the entertainment field. Tattoos were still new to many during the Victorian age and a person with many tattoos was usually thought a vagrant or criminal. Heavily tattooed men and women were also seen at carnivals and sideshows. The nobility could afford to cover their bodies in ink, but the poor did not have the luxury of covering up their inked bodies given the limited amount of clothing they had access to.