Collection 100: Tattoos

20 Facts:-

- Tattooing has been used as a way of smuggling secret messages across enemy
lines in times of war
- The world's most tattooed person is Tom Leppard from the Isle of Skye, Scotland,
who has 99.9 per cent of his body covered with a leopard-skin design.
- The Maori people in New Zealand tattooed their heads (moko) and buttocks by
chiselling a design into the skin and rubbing ink into it. If one of their chiefs died, they
would remove and preserve the tattooed head, keeping it as a treasured possession.
- European missionaries in the Cook Islands tried to remove tattoos by scrubbing them
off with sandstone. Since the ink lay deep in the skin's dermis, this involved scouring
the body raw.
- In October 1991, the 5000 year-old frozen body of a Bronze Age hunter was found
between Austria and Italy. His body bore several tattoos.
- King Harold II of England had a number of tattoos. After his death at the Battle of
Hastings in 1066, his tattoos were used to identify his body.
- A pig tattooed on one foot and a rooster on the other were said to protect a seaman
from drowning. Neither animal can swim and it was thought they would help get the
sailor swiftly to shore if he fell into the water.
- Other popular tattoos amongst sailors are also attributed with particular meanings:
• a full-rigged ship shows the seaman has sailed round Cape Horn
• an anchor indicates he has sailed the Atlantic Ocean
• a dragon denotes that the bearer has served on a China station
• a shellback turtle shows the sailor has crossed the equator
• 'Hold' tattooed on the knuckles of one hand and 'fast' on the other were said
to allow the bearer to grip the rigging better.
- American George C. Reiger Jr boasts over 1000 tattoos based on Disney characters,
including all 101 dalmatians.
- The word 'tattoo' is derived from the Tahitian word 'tatau', meaning to mark.
- Urine was sometimes used to mix the colouring matter of early tattoos.
- The tattooing machine is based on the design of the doorbell.
- Winston Churchill's mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, had a snake tattooed on her
wrist.
- Tahitians believed that the process of tattooing the body served to contain its sacred
power.
- Early Christians often had the sign of the cross tattooed on their bodies, particularly
their face or arms.
- The first tattooed man to be shown publicly in England was a Pacific islander known
as Prince Joely.
- The most painful areas are those where the skin is very close to the bone, such as
the ankles, elbows and knees. It is less painful to be tattooed on more fleshy areas
such as the chest or upper arms. Pain was an important part of tattooing for
Polynesian societies.
- Samoan tattoo artists used combs to apply their designs.
- Until 2006 it was illegal to get a tattoo in Oklahoma,USA.
- The record for the longest tattoo session is 43 hours and 50 minutes and was completed by the very observant and talented artist Melanie Grieveson, of Australia. The tattooed was Stephen Grady.


20 Statistics:-

- 15% of 18-25 year olds think that the increase in people being tattooed has caused a positive impact.
- 60% of 18-25 year olds think that the increase in people being tattooed has caused no discernible impact.
- 36% of 18-25 year olds have at least one tattoo.
- More than 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo.
- 61% of people unable to find a design they want in a tattoo studio would go to TattooFinder.com to Find the Perfect Tattoo Design instead of picking a second choice design, going to another tattoo studio, or not getting tattooed.
- 41% of those considering getting a tattoo would pay up to 50% more for a tattoo artist known to have a good reputation and who is certified by their local health department.
- 61% of people say that the reputation of a tattoo artist and tattoo studio is most important factor when selecting who will tattoo them and where they will get tattooed.
- 43% of people polled say they get tattooed to represent something personal.
- 29% of adults with tattoos feel more rebellious.
- 17% of those with tattoos regret getting them.
- The number of women with tattoos quadrupled from 1960 to 1980.
- 38% of people say they choose a tattoo because it has special meaning to the.
- Tattooing is the United State's 6th fastest growing retail business.
- 6% of Americans now have one or more tattoos.

20 Words:-

- Ink
- Pain
- Colour
- Layout
- Form
- Type & Image
- Studio
- Portrait
- Personal
- Stylised
- Beauty
- Modification
- Needles
- Design
- Sketches
- Celebrities
- Expensive
- Permanent
- Criminal
- Rebellion