This week I decided to look into the history of tattoos and its association with crime. This is mainly concerned with tattoos from a European context, and I specifically found an article looking into this in Ireland during the 19th Century. I choose this article because it sounded interesting and I was wanting to look more into the association of tattoos with crime. This article also looks into tattoos on the bodies of both men and women which I appreciated, for it sometimes is not as researched since it is less common. It also addresses that many of the upper class members of society likely had tattoos but that is more difficult to ascertain, for their bodies were not under scrutiny (Indelible Characters, 238).
The article brings up a very interesting point that tattoos on convicted criminals could be used to identify them, as during this time not everyone had registered their bate of birth and name since they had been born before this became compulsory (Indelible Characters, 236). This was no doubt very useful for legal purposes at the time but also for historical research now.
The article also explains how sailors of all ranks used tattoos as an identifying symbolism, and that they learned the various methods of how to do them from the various places they traveled to (Indelible Characters, 237). The article also addresses that this is how tattooing had new meanings in the west and its cultural significance for many different nations and cultures was lost in this transfer(Indelible Characters, 237). I appreciated the article touching on this, as it explains the history simply and eloquently. It says a lot about how the history of tattoos is deeply rooted in cultural appropriation. For many cultures their tattoos are very significant to their identity and has specific cultural meaning, such as the Maori and their Moko. Western sailors wanted to use tattoos to represent their own identities, but in doing so they changed the meaning of the idea of tattooing and greatly influenced how people perceived cultures and their tattoos, such as the Maori.
The article I’m focusing on of this week was very interesting in its look into crime and tattoos, but it also said a lot about western European understandings and attitudes towards cultures that traditionally used methods of tattooing. For example it states how they were seen as “exotic” and that a museum in Belfast had “the heads of Native Chiefs from the Antipodes, including one from New South Wales ‘tattooed according to his rank and exploits’” (Indelible Characters, 238) donated (the article used this term and I find it quite problematic) for the public to see.
I have seen some resources in my research that look into cultural appropriation and tattoos, but I definitely think there is even more to be done in this area. I might take a deeper dive into this for my next blog post and even just reflect on what resources and research there is covering this topic.
Resources
Breathnach, C. & Farrell, E. “Indelible Characters”, Cultural and Social History, 2015, Vol. 12:2, 235-254, DOI: 10.2752/147800415X14224554625271
kstockli
March 7, 2022 — 11:57 am
Hi Lucy,
Very interesting post. I will say just remember to spell check your post, near the beginning it says bate of birth but I think you meant date of birth.
There is a lot of history on tattooing people to identify them both for criminals and marginalized gorups. I am curious to know if that is why gangs often have similar tattoos so other gang members can identify if they are an ally or not.
It seems like in the past peeople were interested in tattoos but at some point tattoos became shameful and unacceptable. I would be interested to learn when that shift happened as well as what influenced the more recent shift towards acceptance and appreciation of tattoos?
-Kasey