American Traditional Tattoos

October 18, 2013 by Josh Squires

In America, when we say “tattoos” many of us envision a very specific art style. That style usually includes a number of nautical designs including anchors, compasses, stars, and ships, to name just a few of the most common. The reason we recall these images when we think of American traditional tattoos and tattoo art is for two distinct reasons. The first is because those are the symbols used by early tattoo artists who were often themselves sailors. The second is because in American culture, tattooing has historically been a heritage art; a tradition passed down from a teacher to a student. Though the designs have been modified over recent decades, American traditional tattoos remain a distinct and instantly recognizable style of tattoo art.

在美国，当我们说“纹身”时，我们中许多人设想了非常具体的艺术风格。这种风格通常包括许多航海设计，包括锚，指南针，星星和船只，仅列举最常见的几种。当我们想到美国传统纹身和纹身艺术时，我们回想起这些图像的原因有两个不同的原因。第一个是因为这些是早期纹身艺术家所使用的标志，他们常常是水手。二是因为在美国文化中，纹身历史上一直是遗产艺术; 一个从老师传授给学生的传统。虽然近几十年来这些设计已经被修改，但美国传统纹身仍然是一种独特且瞬间可识别的纹身艺术风格。

Westerners can trace their first contact with the art of tattooing all the way back to Captain Cook’s expedition of the South Pacific. Cook encountered the tattooed cultures of Samoa, Polynesia, and the Maoris of New Zealand. All of these cultures were prominently tattooed. The sailors that were with Cook were fascinated by this art form and brought it back with him to Europe. There’s a lot more to that story, but it’s not the purpose of this post. For those who are interested, check out Cook’s story here. Essentially, sailors sought to tattoo themselves with images that had meaning to them, as opposed to the traditional designs of the natives from who they had learned the practice. As the sailors had learned from tattoo artists in primitive cultures, they would later teach their own apprentices. The practice went on for some time before undergoing any great change. The style of tattooing used by these sailors is referred to as British Naval or British Traditional style. They were characterized by very simple, somewhat crude designs and revolved largely around their lives as sailors, but would occasionally include elements of their personal lives.

西方人可以追溯他们与纹身艺术的第一次接触，一路回到库克队长南太平洋的考察队。库克遇到萨摩亚，波利尼西亚和新西兰毛利人的纹身文化。所有这些文化都是突出的纹身。与库克一起的船员对这种艺术形式感到迷恋，并将其带回欧洲。这个故事还有很多，但这不是这篇文章的目的。对于有兴趣的人，请在这里查看库克的故事。从本质上说，水手们试图用自己的意图纹身自己的图像，而不是从他们学习实践的本土人的传统设计。水手从原始文化的纹身艺术家那里学到了，后来他们会教自己的学徒。这种做法持续了一段时间，才发生了巨大变化。这些水手使用的纹身风格被称为英国海军或英国传统风格。他们的特点是非常简单，有点粗糙的设计，主要围绕着他们的水手生活，但偶尔会包括他们个人生活的元素。

正是在内战期间，美国传统纹身真正开始脱颖而出，就像自己独特的风格。1870年，德国美国纹身艺术家马丁·希尔德布兰特（Martin Hildebrandt）在内战期间使自己的同盟军人和联盟军队成员出身，在纽约市纽约市开了第一家已知的纹身店。当Samuel O’Reilly发明的电动纹身机发生在1891年，美国的纹身真的起飞了。

An example of traditional tattoo flash art, one of the primary ways the style was proliferated in the late 19th through most of the 20th century.

传统纹身闪光艺术的一个例子，是19世纪末到20世纪大部分时间风格的主要方式之一。

It was during the civil war that American traditional tattoos really began to stand out as their own distinct style. In 1870 Martin Hildebrandt, a German-American tattoo artist who’d made his living tattooing members of both the Confederate and Union armies during the civil war, opened the first known tattoo parlor in New York City, NY.  When the invention of the electric tattooing machine by Samuel O’Reilly occurred in 1891, tattooing in America really took off.

正是在内战期间，美国传统纹身真正开始脱颖而出，就像自己独特的风格。1870年，德国美国纹身艺术家马丁·希尔德布兰特（Martin Hildebrandt）在内战期间使自己的同盟军人和联盟军队成员出身，在纽约市纽约市开了第一家已知的纹身店。当Samuel O’Reilly发明的电动纹身机发生在1891年，美国的纹身真的起飞了。

The Birth of the American Style

美国风格的诞生

Tattoo art in America before the invention of the electric tattooing machine was largely based on military service, religion, and love. The soldiers tattooed in the Civil War often had patriotic or military images tattooed on them, as well as graphic representations of their love for the women they left behind. Religious tattoos of crosses, praying hands, rosaries, and other religious iconography were also common. Reproductions of famous fine art works depicting religious scenes also existed, but were far less common–often seen only on circus performers whose tattoos were their trade. These themes built the basis for tattoo culture in America and formed the cornerstone of American traditional tattoos.

发明电刺绣机之前，美国的纹身艺术主要依靠军事，宗教和爱情。在内战中纹身的士兵经常会对他们造成爱国或军事的影像，以及对他们留下的妇女的爱的图解。十字架，祈祷手，念珠和其他宗教图像的宗教纹身也很常见。描绘宗教场面的着名美术作品的复制品也存在，但是不太常见 – 经常只能在纹身是他们的贸易的马戏表演者身上看到。这些主题为美国纹身文化建立了基础，形成了美国传统纹身的基石。

After the invention of the tattoo machine, tattoo culture in America expanded rapidly. The Spanish-American War was on and some estimates say that at the time over 80% of enlisted men were tattooed. Demand for tattoos had become so great that artists had a hard time meeting the demand. This presented an opportunity for less-skilled tattoo artists to get into the business, but this of course created a new problem. You now had tattoo “artists” who were unskilled at drawing. To solve this problem, flash sheets were created to provide unskilled artists a base to work from. Flash tattoo artists often created designs that were common to a specific locality, but as demand grew a small handful of artists became prominent distributors of these flash sheets, which were available via mail order catalog, leading to a homogenized style. The homogenization of the style is how American Traditional tattoos were born.

纹身机发明后，美国纹身文化迅速扩大。西班牙 – 美国之战已经开始了，有人估计说，80％以上的士兵都被纹身了。纹身需求变得如此之大，令艺术家难以满足需求。这为不熟练的纹身艺术家提供了一个机会来开展业务，但这当然造成了一个新的问题。你现在有纹身“艺术家”谁不熟练绘图。为了解决这个问题，我们创建了闪光灯片，为不熟练的艺术家提供了工作的基础。Flash纹身艺术家经常创作出特定场所的设计，但随着需求的增加，少数艺术家成为这些闪光片的突出分销商，可通过邮购目录获得，从而形成均匀的风格。

You’ll also notice how the American tattooing tradition sticks closely to the armed forces, particularly the Navy. Just as Captain Cook’s naval voyage introduced him and his crew to the tattoo cultures of the South Pacific, during the turn of the 20th century Japan had become a popular port frequented by American sailors. These sailors then encountered the Japanese style of tattooing, which they then spread. Still, among Americans,  American Traditional tattoos remained the most popular. During WWII artists such as the famous Sailor Jerry continued to propagate and shape the style.

你还会注意到美国纹身传统如何与军队，特别是海军密切合作。正如库克队长的海军航行将他和他的船员介绍到南太平洋的纹身文化，在二十世纪之交，日本已经成为美国水手经常光顾的普遍的港口。这些水手然后遇到日本风格的纹身，然后他们传播。不过，在美国人中，美国传统纹身仍然是最受欢迎的。二战期间，着名的水手杰瑞继续传播和塑造风格。

Modern American Traditional Tattoos

现代美国传统纹身

While flash tattoos still exist and are still used to some degree in modern American tattoo culture, we’ve been leaning towards a strictly custom tattoo style since the turn of the 21st century. That’s not to say that American Traditional tattoos are dying out. They still serve as inspiration for custom tattoo work. The artwork itself conveys a sense of tradition, heritage, and importance while the themes used in American Traditional tattoos are still highly relevant today. Modern American Traditional tattoo art keeps the same visual style as classic American Traditional, but incorporates a broader scope of themes and design elements.

虽然闪光纹身仍然存在，并且在一定程度上仍然在现代美国纹身文化中使用，但自21世纪以来，我们一直倾向于严格定制的纹身风格。这不是说美国传统纹身正在消失。他们仍然作为定制纹身工作的灵感。艺术品本身传达传统，遗产和重要性，而美国传统纹身中使用的主题今天仍然高度相关。现代美国传统纹身艺术与传统美国传统艺术保持着相同的视觉风格，但融合了更广泛的主题和设计元素。

Many modern or custom American Traditional tattoos are more personalized, but maintain the use of the traditional style and design. These tattoos often employ more cultural references including musical, theatrical, and literary. While there isn’t a readily available declaration of the design elements that are common to American Traditional tattoos, it’s pretty safe to say that fine line work, simple color palettes, and uncomplicated designs are hallmarks of the style. Some of the examples below demonstrate the modern traditional style, but if you’d like to learn more and see more examples, we have another great article on how Richmond, VA is influencing the style.

许多现代或定制的美国传统纹身更加个性化，但保持传统风格和设计的使用。这些纹身经常使用更多的文化参考，包括音乐，戏剧和文学。虽然美国传统纹身的设计元素并没有一个现成的声明，但很可靠的说，细线工作，简单的调色板和简单的设计是风格的标志。下面的一些例子演示了现代传统风格，但如果您想了解更多并看到更多的例子，那么我们还有一篇伟大的文章，介绍了弗吉尼亚州里士满如何影响风格。

The Meaning of American Traditional Tattoos

美国传统纹身的含义

One of the great things about American traditional tattoos, or Old school tattoos as they are sometimes called, is how accessible the meaning of a tattoo is to other people. This tattoo style utilizes designs that can often be taken at face value, or are accompanied by “rockers”–ribbons or bands that contain script which often spell out meaning, express a sentiment, or contain a motto. That being stated, many American traditional tattoos have meanings that are steeped in tradition and often blended with or borrowed from other cultures. We’ll go through some of the more common traditional tattoo designs in-depth.

美国传统纹身或有时被称为老式纹身的伟大事物之一就是纹身对其他人的意义如何。这种纹身风格采用经常以面值拍摄的设计，或者伴随着“摇滚” – 包含经常拼写意义，表达情感或含有座右铭的脚本的条纹或乐队。据说，许多美国传统纹身具有沉浸在传统中的意义，经常与其他文化融合或借用。我们将深入了解一些比较常见的传统纹身设计。

Traditional Anchor Tattoos

传统锚纹身

The “deeper meaning” of the traditional anchor tattoo doesn’t go much deeper than a simple metaphor. Hearkening back to the seafaring roots of the style, an anchor represents a tether or something that steadies the ship to keep it from drifting. It is common to see anchors accompanied by the name of a loved one or by a slogan or motto by which the wearer lives their life. The anchor represents security.

传统锚纹身的“深层意义”并不比一个简单的比喻更深入。回到航海的风格根源，一个锚代表一个系绳或东西，稳定船只，以防止漂流。通常看到锚点伴随着亲人的名字，或者穿着穿着者过着生命的口号或座右铭。锚代表安全。

Nautical Star Tattoos

航海星纹身

The nautical star, a five-pointed, two-toned star, has largely become purely aesthetic. Traditionally, the nautical star tattoo was a maritime symbol associated with navigation. The nautical star tattoo can express the wearer’s desire to get through life safely, or to return safely from journeys which take them away from home.

海星，一颗五角二色的星星，在很大程度上纯粹是美学的。传统上，航海星纹身是与导航相关的海洋标志。航海明星纹身可以表达穿戴者渴望安全生活的愿望，或安全返回带走他们远离家乡的旅程。

Nautical stars worn on the chest or front shoulders may make reference to the lights on a boat–if one star is red and the other is green or blue, it references the starboard and port sides of a ship. In sailing, if a ship can see both the port and starboard lights of another boat, it means they are on a collision course and the ship must give way. In tattoo metaphor, this tattoo suggests that others must “give way” to the wearer.

佩戴在胸前或前肩上的航海星星可参考船上的灯光 – 如果一颗星是红色的，另一颗是绿色或蓝色的，则它引用了一艘船的右舷和两侧。在航行中，如果一艘船可以看到另一艘船的港口和右舷灯，这意味着它们在碰撞过程中，而且船必须让路。在纹身隐喻中，这种纹身表明其他人必须“让路”给佩戴者。

Traditional Ship Tattoos

传统船纹身

The meaning of the traditional ship tattoo is a pretty wide-open metaphor. The ship typically represents the wearer, while the water on which it sails represents life. Waters may be depicted as smooth or stormy and the scene is often accompanied by rockers spelling out some core belief of the wearer. In a ship tattoo, the sails may be presented as full, slack, or torn. This is a metaphor for how the wearer feels their course in life has been, or how they’d like it to be. Full sails meaning a life that is “easy sailing”, slack sails meaning the wearer is “adrift” or without direction, and torn sails meaning that the wearer believes they have had a tough life and lived through “stormy waters”.

传统船舶纹身的意义是一个相当广泛的隐喻。船通常代表穿着者，而帆上的水代表着生命。水域可能被描绘成光滑或暴风雨，场景通常伴随着摇滚者拼出佩戴者的一些核心信念。在船上的纹身上，帆可能是充满，松弛或撕裂的。这是一个比喻，说明佩戴者如何看待自己的生活方式，或者他们希望如何。全帆意味着一种“轻松航行”的生活，松散的帆船意味着佩戴者“漂泊”或没有方向，撕裂的帆船意味着佩戴者相信他们已经过了艰难的生活，并通过“暴风雨的水域”生活。

Traditional Rose Tattoos

传统玫瑰纹身

The rose tattoo is common to many tattoo cultures who base their art on images rather than designs. Much like the Japanese meaning, the rose in American Traditional tattoo art represents a very wide range of things and the way it is depicted (with or without thorns, open, closed, or partially open) can change that meaning.

玫瑰纹身是许多纹身文化的共同之处，这些纹身文化以艺术为基础而不是图案。很像日本人的意思，美国传统纹身艺术中的玫瑰代表了很广泛的东西，它描绘的方式（有或没有刺，开放，关闭或部分开放）可以改变这个意思。

The rose tattoo can also represent the feminine and in the life of a sailor it commonly referred to a woman close to the wearer’s heart such as their mother, wife, or girlfriend. Read more about the meaning of the rose and other flower tattoos on our Flower Tattoos Meanings page.

玫瑰纹身也可以代表女性，在水手的生活中，通常指的是靠近穿戴者心脏的女人，如母亲，妻子或女朋友。阅读更多关于我们的花纹身意思页面上的玫瑰和其他花纹身的意义。

Traditional Swallow Tattoos

传统燕窝纹身

The swallow tattoo actually derives from the British sailing tattoo tradition. The swallow depicted in the tattoo is traditionally a Barn Swallow, common to the British Isles.

燕子纹身实际上来源于英国航海纹身传统。纹身中描绘的燕子传统上是不列颠群岛共同的谷仓燕子。

In the early days of sailing British seamen had the swallow tattooed to show their sailing experience–each swallow was said to represent 5,000 nautical miles worth of sailing. It is also thought that since the Swallow returns to the same place to nest every year, that the tattoo was a good luck charm for ensuring a safe return from their journey.

The idea of the swallow returning also leads to another interpretation: Loyalty. The swallow tattoo suggests that the wearer will always return to, or be loyal to, their friends and family. It also has a connection to turn of the century street fighting in England and Scotland when worn on the back of the hand.

To further the symbolism of the swallow tattoo for sailors, it was also believed that a sailor who died at sea would have his soul carried home (or to heaven) by these birds. In both instances the traditional swallow tattoo symbolizes a safe return from a journey.

在早期的航海英国海员已经吞下了燕子的纹身，以表现出他们的航行经验 – 每个燕子据说代表着5000海里的航行。也被认为是因为燕子每年回到同一个地方，纹身是一个很好的运气魅力，以确保旅途安全返回。

燕子回归的想法也导致另一个解释：忠诚。燕子纹身表明佩戴者将永远回到或忠于他们的朋友和家人。它也与英国和苏格兰的世纪街头战争相交，在佩戴在手背上。

为了进一步推广水手燕子纹身的象征意图，还相信一名在海上死亡的水手将会用这些鸟将他的灵魂带回家（或天堂）。在这两种情况下，传统的燕子纹身象征着旅程的安全回报。

Traditional Dagger or Knife Tattoo

传统匕首或刀纹身

The image of the knife or dagger is one that appears in many cultures. In the tattoo arts it was first used in the British sailing tradition which of course was carried in to the American Traditional tattoo style.

刀或匕首的形象是出现在许多文化中的形象。在纹身艺术中，它首先用于英国的帆船传统，当然这是传统的美式传统纹身风格。

The dagger represents many things. In modern American culture we associate it with death, danger, and ferocity. The traditional dagger tattoo was common among soldiers in the Army and Marines from WWII on. For them it not only symbolized death, but life–as well as the tool by which they lived. Dagger tattoos often symbolize quickness, tenacity, or death at the hands of another.

There are a number of variations on the traditional dagger tattoo, most of which combine the dagger with other design elements such as hearts, skulls, flowers, or “wounds”. A dagger paired with a heart often refers to the wearer having experienced a broken heart or lost love. A dagger paired with a traditional skull means protection or bravery.

Some traditional tattoos feature a dagger through a panther’s head (or tiger, in some cases). The meaning of these tattoos is generally derived from the two individual elements, the dagger and the animal. Panther tattoos represent subtle strength or aggression.

匕首代表许多事情。在现代美国文化中，我们把它与死亡，危险和凶残联系起来。传统的匕首纹身在第二次世界大战的陆军和海军陆战队士兵中很常见。对他们来说，它不仅象征着死亡，而且是生命以及他们所居住的工具。匕首纹身经常象征着快速，韧性或死亡在另一个手中。

传统的匕首纹身有许多变化，其中大多数都将匕首与其他设计元素（如心脏，头骨，花朵或“伤口”）相结合。与心脏搭配的匕首通常指佩戴者经历了破碎的心脏或迷失的爱情。与传统头骨配对的匕首意味着保护或勇敢。

一些传统纹身通过豹的头部（或在某些情况下是老虎）设有匕首。这些纹身的意义通常来源于两个单独的元素，匕首和动物。黑豹纹身表现出微妙的力量或侵略。

Traditional skull tattoos

传统头骨纹身

The traditional skull tattoo is perhaps one of the most common designs in tattooing with a meaning that can vary by both the wearer and the culture. Most often the skull tattoo will represent death, but it can also represent the idea that we all die, or that life is short. However, the traditional skull tattoo has also been known to signify triumph and rebellion. The best example of this symbolism is displayed in the pirate’s flag, or Jolly Roger, which features a skull and crossbones which was flown in defiance of the naval authority of all governments.

To some cultures, the skull symbolizes a celebration of life and the idea of an afterlife. This is especially true in Mexican culture and in the religious beliefs held by Kabbalists, Hindus, and Christians. This particular meaning can be enhanced in the tattoo by including a rose.

传统的头骨纹身可能是纹身中最常见的设计之一，其含义可以随佩戴者和文化而变化。最常见的头骨纹身将代表死亡，但它也可以代表我们所有人死亡或生命短暂的想法。然而，传统的头骨纹身也被称为胜利和反叛。这个象征主义的最好的例子显示在海盗的旗帜上，或者是Jolly Roger，它的特征是骷髅和交叉骨，这是蔑视所有政府的海军权威。

对于一些文化，头骨象征着生命的庆祝和来世的想法。这在墨西哥文化和由Kabbalists，Hindus和基督徒所持有的宗教信仰中尤其如此。这种特殊的意义可以通过包括玫瑰在纹身中得到增强。

Traditional Wolf Tattoos

传统狼纹身

The wolf is traditionally a symbol of ruthless determination, but it’s also a pack animal for whom family or friends are the key to survival. Traditionally, wolves represent hunger or hard times, and in some cases greed (as in the common phrase “Wolf at the door”).  In terms of the meaning of the traditional wolf tattoo, it usually represents a hunger for something–be it wealth, success, happiness, or pretty much anything. It can also be used to represent someone who has survived hard times. A traditional wolf tattoo that features a dagger through the head of the wolf can mean that the wearer has overcome hardship or hard times, as well as a vow to never be defeated by personal struggles.

狼传统上是无情的决心的象征，但它也是一群动物，家人或朋友是生存的关键。传统上，狼代表饥饿或困难时期，在某些情况下也是贪婪的（就像俗称“狼在门”）。在传统狼纹身的意义上，它通常代表着一种饥饿，无论是财富，成功，幸福还是几乎任何事情。它也可以用来代表一个幸存下来的人。一只穿着狼头的匕首的传统狼纹身可能意味着佩戴者克服了困难或困难的时刻，以及发誓永远不会被个人的斗争所击败