Modern Electric Tattoo

The sailors who came into contact with the different tattoo cultures

began to collect tattoos themselves. They started to tattoo

each other, by hand, and brought the craft back home. Different

designs for tattoos were being created and kept in the studios for

reuse. These designs came to be known as flash. England was a

popular spot for tattooing because many naval officers would get

tattooed, as well as British royalty. Hori Chyo tattooed the Duke

of York in Yokohama in 1882; the Duke of York later became King

George V.The popularity of tattooing in

England spread and soon there were

tattoo shops in every port. Tattooing

was imported to U.S. ports where

it flourished in New York. It was

in New York where the advent of

electricity modernized the tattoo

process.