The current exhibition at the Swedish American Museum—Tattoo: Identity Through Ink—takes an in-depth look into the history of tattoos as it traces tattoos from ancient civilizations to the present. The strength of this exhibition is not only the vibrant photos that are on display, but also the informative text that takes visitors on an anthropological journey through the many facets of tattoos.
There was a time, after World War II, when tattoos were viewed as something seedy and low class, something that only prisoners and gang members would get. But over the past 40 years, each decade has seen an increase in the percentage of people getting inked. In a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, approximately 32% of adults in the US now have at least one tattoo and the majority of those adults have more than one.
This exhibition gives us a better understanding of why tattoos are popular in our current time by giving us a historical context on the psychological and spiritual significance of tattoos in various cultures.
Here are just a few aspects of tattoos that you will learn about in this exhibition.
Ancient Tattooing
Humans have been marking their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, individuals who were from a higher social echelon were tattooed with figurative designs. Archaeologists believe the motifs that appear on 3,000- to 5,000-year-old mummies were a means to provide protection and to ensure fertility. Ancient tattooing was also believed to carry the dead safely into the afterlife.
Tattoos Among Native Americans
Tattoos played an integral role for many Native Americans. Tattoos were thought to promote fertility, provide physical and spiritual protection, and act as a form of medicine. By the mid-19th century, these traditions disappeared as the US and Canadian governments forced Native Americans onto reservations. Additionally, Christian missionaries suppressed many of their spiritual and cultural practices. But now there has been a resurgence of tattoos among Native Americans as they embrace their ancestral past.
The Indigenous World
Across the indigenous world, tattoos were not seen as an art form, but rather as a physical and spiritual undertaking that involved elaborate ceremonies. Tattoos played an important role in indigenous religious systems and the tattooist was believed to be guided by the spirit world.
Tattoo Artists
This exhibition profiles two prominent tattoo artists—Amund Dietzel and Cliff Raven. Dietzel spent several years as the “tattoo man” for numerous carnivals while also inking customers between his acts. He later settled in Milwaukee where his tattoo business thrived during the years of World War I and II as he inked numerous sailors and other serviceman. Cliff Raven was influential in the Chicago tattoo scene. He opened his tattoo shop in the mid-'60s and he owned the only tattoo parlor in Chicago when Illinois raised the legal age for tattoos to 21. He revolutionized sanitary methods by wearing gloves, sterilizing equipment, and using single-use inks. On display are a number of Raven’s designs.
Sideshow Acts
People with numerous tattoos in the 19th and 20th centuries were often relegated to sideshow acts for circuses and carnivals. They were a big draw because most people had never seen tattoos before. James O’Connell was believed to be the first heavily tattooed circus showman in the 19th century and Nora Hildebrandt was the first tattooed lady who took part in the Barnum show in the 1890s.
Tattoo Regret
While most people are happy with their tattoos, about 23% feel regret for at least one of them. Reasons for regret may include—their old tattoo may no longer have significance in their present life or they have someone’s name inked on their skin who is no longer a part of their life. We learn how laser tattoo removal is now offered in some tattoo shops and about the process of covering an old tattoo with a new one.
Reasons People Get Inked
For some people, getting a tattoo is a way of marking personal achievement, while for others it’s a way of celebrating a new chapter in their lives such as marriage or parenthood. Tattoos also express one’s personal identity through a meaningful quote or image. Tattoos provide a way to create an indelible illustration of what is important in someone’s life.
Also on display are two videos. One video is about 18 minutes in length and explores the origins of tattoos and how they became accepted into mainstream society. In the other video, viewers are given a close-up look at the process of getting a tattoo. Visitors will also have an opportunity to create their own tattoos on silicone arms and hold an actual tattoo machine (with no needles) to see how it feels.
Tattoo: Identity Through Ink is an engaging exhibition for those who have tattoos and for those who have never been inked. The extensive research in this exhibition comes to life in a vivid manner—a rich narrative that tells the story about tattoos from ancient times to the present.
This exhibition is curated by renowned anthropologist, Dr. Lars Krutak, who is a research associate at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a scholar of body art and has written four books about Indigenous body modification. His newest book, Tattoo Traditions of Asia: Ancient and Contemporary Expressions of Identity, will be published in 2024 by the University of Hawai`i Press. It is the first single volume dedicated to the subject and is the culmination of more than 20 years of field and archival research.
Tattoo: Identity Through Ink will be on display through November 26 at the Swedish American Museum located at 5211 N. Clark. Museum hours: Tuesday through Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm. Admission: $6 for adults; $4 for children, students and seniors; $15 for families (2 adults and 3 children under 18). For more information visit their website or call 773-728-8111.
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