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However if you look closely in the National Archives, you can found waist down bare bodies of men engulfed in beautiful tattoos. When James Cook travelled to the south pacific his crew was exposed to Polynesian inking culture. From there this inking culture made its way into the society, growing insanely popular over the years. Sutherland Macdonald is the first know professional tattoo artist in Britain.
He started his career as a professional tattoo artist when he left the army. He began practising tattooing with hand tools. Being an accomplished artist, he got along with the needles just fine. By 1889 he was operating a tattoo parlour out of the Hamam Turkish Baths at 76 Jermyn Street in London.
The term “Tattooist”, a combination of tattoo and artist, was coined for the first time. He was the sole entrepreneur under this category for almost four years. Matt Lodder, a lecturer at the University of Essex, explains, “While tattooing was going on, there is no evidence of another professional studio in Britain at the time, working on paying customers.”
Macdonald was a brilliant artist of his time. His meticulous tattoo designs are the works of wonder. He had his share of glamour and aristocratic clients. His clientele included several sons of Queen Victoria as well as the kings of Norway and Denmark.
“For nearly forty years crowned heads and famous people climbed the narrow staircase in Jermyn Street to visit Macdonald and to leave bearing some of the most wonderful ornaments ever placed on human skin.” He continues explaining this wonderful artist of character and class, “A well-spoken, intelligent and gentle man, Sutherland Macdonald made friends of his customers, who treated him as an equal.”
It’s incredible how he managed to draw these meticulous designs without the help of any modern tools. He not only pioneered the art of tattooing but also elevated its status to the heights of a respectable profession.
