I've checked How Many Good Posts on Tattoos Socialphy has like American Prision Tattoos I've decided to do a little reasearch and found a short but concise timeline showing the evolution in the use of tattoos. It's funny to see how it started to be seen in public with the Bastion carnival freak shows, and nowadays how it became so popular among young people. Oops, I'm talking like my grandpa now!! Check it out --->














Tattoos have a curious history

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1850 - 1900 - Tattoos used to be the bastion of carnival freak shows, with people flocking to the circus to see the amazing tattooed Lady.




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1900 - 1950 - Tattoos in the early 20th century indicated a Sailor or Marine. In these cases, they did not have any social stigma, except that tattoos were generally indicative of enlisted men. Few Navy or Marine officers dared to draw on their body.




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1950 - 1960 - In the early 1950's, tattoos became popular with the criminal element, mostly outlaw bikers, social outcasts and the mentally ill. It was during this time tattoos took on a more ominous reputation.



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1960 - 1990 - This was the age of "prison tats" where having a tattoo indicated to some people that you were a tough, ignorant, convicted felon.



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1990-2008 - Today we see hordes of low-class young people drawing on themselves with free abandon, (almost 30% of people in the 1980's). These people do not understand that a tattoo may effectively prohibit them from pursuing a professional career, regardless of their other qualifications.





The Mark of Cain documents the fading art form and language of Russian criminal tattoos, formerly a forbidden topic in Russia. The now vanishing practice is seen as reflecting the transition of the broader Russian society. Filmed in some of Russia;s most notorious prisons, including the fabled White Swan, the interviews with prisoners, guards, and criminologists reveal the secret language of The Zone and The Code of Thieve.