American Traditional

The popularity of American Traditional tattoos really begins with one man in particular, Norman Collins, who is better known as Sailor Jerry: "Collins had been enlisted in the United States Navy at age nineteen, and his travels to Southeast Asia provided inspiration that eventually led him to be one of the most renowned American Traditional tattoo artists in history. A sailor himself, Collins relied on the teachings of Japanese tattoo masters to create his own style, a style with heavy emphasis on vibrant color, bold outlines and nautical motifs, today known as American Traditional. Living and working in Hawaii, the influx of United States servicemen provided him clientele to tattoo – and thus the influx of demand for American Traditional tattoos was born" (Riedman 2022). Entering the war as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young men who were mostly clean cut with an innocent aura to them, the horrors of war hardened these young men and getting tattoos became a statement of rebellion and a representation of their metamorphosis.