The history of tattoos is incredibly rich and interesting. A common element in many cultures, in the West it was banished by religion, among others, although with the passage of time it has returned, and forcefully, thanks to pioneers such as Sutherland MacDonald.
Established in London during part of the 19th and 20th century, Sutherland MacDonald became famous for being one of the first people to have a tattoo shop. If you want to know his story, read on!
The first Victorian tattoo artist
Little is known about Sutherland MacDonald before he set up his tattoo shop on 76th Jermin Street in London. It is said that this potential artist had his first contact with tattoos in the 1880s, when MacDonald served in the English navy.
In any case, his tattoo study was the first ever recorded in the United Kingdom. It was he who premiered the category of tattoos of the yellow pages (in fact, it had to be created especially for him, because there was no one else who offered his services throughout the city). Thus, it is known that his studio opened its doors in 1889.
A famous pioneer
Soon, Sutherland MacDonald became a celebrity. It is said that he tattooed many kings and important characters, such as the King of Denmark and Norway or some of the sons of Queen Victoria (at that time, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was fashionable for the kings to tattoo themselves…).
In addition, this tattoo artist worked very hard on his art to improve. For example, although at first he did the tattoos by hand, in 1894 he moved to one of the first tattoo machines, patented by himself. And, in addition, he was one of the first tattoo artists to introduce new colors to his designs, blue and green.
Sutherland MacDonald worked for over forty years as a tattoo artist, printing his art on all skin types. Tell us, did you know the story of this tattoo artist? Remember to leave us a comment!
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