{"id":73673,"date":"2025-07-18T14:37:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T14:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/07\/18\/how-wwii-brought-about-the-normalization-of-tattoos\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T14:01:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:01:27","slug":"how-wwii-brought-about-the-normalization-of-tattoos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/07\/18\/how-wwii-brought-about-the-normalization-of-tattoos\/","title":{"rendered":"How WWII brought about the normalization of tattoos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During his third Pacific voyage beginning in 1776, Capt. James Cook recorded in his journal: \u201cThe universality of tattooing is a curious subject for speculation\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, however, getting inked as a member of the U.S. military is a borderline rite of passage, so much so, writes J.D. Simkins<\/a>, that the \u201cmilitary culture to tattooing is so prevalent that finding an ink-free service member is infinitely more rare than the alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that is a relatively new phenomenon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. military \u2014 and society\u2019s \u2014 embracing and liberalization surrounding the stigma and regulations governing tattoos is thanks, in large part, to the Second World War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vast expansion of Naval personnel at the onset of WWII ushered in a new era of the tatted tradition, helped by figures like artist Norman Keith Collins \u2014 also known as Sailor Jerry<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, soldiers, sailors and new recruits alike lined tattoo parlors to receive their permanent symbols of pride, patriotism \u2014 and pinups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emergence of tattoos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Capt. Cook\u2019s Pacific voyages exposed Royal Navy sailors to Polynesian body art, such traditions were practiced in early societies in Europe and Asia, and by indigenous cultures worldwide for thousands of years, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cook\u2019s exploration of the Pacific, however, did popularize the tradition among his fellow seamen in both Europe and the Americas. So much so that by the 18th century, a third of British and a fifth of American sailors<\/a> sported at least one tattoo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
An underwater demolition swimmer checks his swim fins and face mask, during UDT operations at Balikpapan, July 1945. (Naval Heritage and History Command)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the American Civil War, men in both the Union and Confederate navies often were tatted with military insignia motifs and names of their sweethearts back home. After the March 1862 Battle of the Ironclad<\/a> \u2014 the historic clash between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia \u2014 requests for tattoos to commemorate the historic engagement were seen on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the 1898 Spanish-American War, \u201cRemember the Maine\u201d was a popular choice to be emblazoned on the chests of sailors who were going off to war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy this time,\u201d writes Naval Heritage and History Command, \u201cthese tattoos had already acquired features recognized today as essential elements of military and patriotic tattoos: the curved scroll with a slogan, name, or date; the stars and stripes; or a giant eagle backdrop \u2014 many of them proliferated thanks to the newly invented electric tattoo machine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
1st July 1944: A couple of sailors and a soldier seem fascinated by the idea of a tattoo. Original Publication: Picture Post – 1734 – Dover Watches For The P Planes – pub. 1944 (Photo by Haywood Magee\/Picture Post\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During World War I servicemen were getting their military ID numbers, and later social security numbers, tattooed on their bodies as a means of identification in case they were injured or killed in service. This practice was outright banned during WWII on the grounds that it might give \u201caid and comfort to the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, body art remained firmly on the fringes of society well into the 20th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tattoos in World War II<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the American declaration of war on Dec. 8, 1941, Honolulu and the port of San Diego became major hubs for men, and occasionally some women, to get inked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the war, Honolulu alone boasted eight parlors and 33 operators gaining \u201cthe dubious title of the world\u2019s tattoo center,\u201d according to a June 16, 1944, Highland Recorder article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, 25-year-old Hawaiian native Eugene Miller of \u201cMiller\u2019s Tattooing Emporium\u201d saw his business boom, tattooing over 300 people a day with prices ranging from 25 cents for small pieces to $30 for larger, more intricate art. A large sign above his modest parlor declared him<\/a> the \u201cworld\u2019s greatest and youngest tattoo artist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Steven J. Kusial, working on a Seabee road construction crew on Guam, 1944. Kusial\u2019s tattoos include a girl wearing a sombrero, possibly symbolizing pre-war U.S. West Coast naval service (left upper arm); and a design with two swallows (right upper arm), indicating at least 10,000 nautical miles underway. (Naval History and Heritage Command)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bert Grimm, known as the \u201cgodfather of modern tattoos,\u201d spent over two decades perfecting his craft in St. Louis, Missouri. During the war, the famed tattoo artist \u2014 who is rumored to have worked on the infamous Bonnie and Clyde \u2014 painstakingly etched symbols of love and belief of God and country onto countless sailors and soldiers waiting to go to battle. But, Grimm noted, the two often sought differing inked motifs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1942, Grimm told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe main difference between the soldiers and sailors is that when a sailor comes in to get tattooed, it\u2019s always something with an anchor or a battleship, and the soldiers go more for flags and eagles. I\u2019ve been watching their tastes and drawing new designs to suit them. Oh yes, sweetheart and love designs are going good now, too. […] And here\u2019s a Red Cross Nurse; they lost out in popularity but they are back now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe war,\u201d the article continued, \u201chas also been responsible for shortages of tattoo equipment. All the tattoo needles are made in England… Also, although tattoo artists usually don\u2019t mention it to servicemen patrons, most of the darkest and richest tattoo dyes came from Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
E.M. Smith, gun captain of one of the ship’s nine 16″\/50 Mk.VII main battery guns, opens his gun’s breech plug during Missouri’s shakedown cruise, August 1944. (Naval Heritage and History Command)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For servicemen willing and perhaps expecting to lose their lives, tattoos were worn as a badge of honor \u2014 giving a sense of comradery and, as Danielle Boiardi, the curator of the Lyle Tuttle Tattoo Art Collection, notes in an interview with the Smithsonian<\/a>, \u201ca permanent mark that they could take with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, the acceptance and proliferation of tattoos has spiked both in America and abroad, with U.S. Navy remaining the least restrictive among U.S. branches of service in terms of body art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Naval tattoo meanings, per the Naval History and Heritage Command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anchor:<\/b> Originally indicated a mariner who had crossed the Atlantic. In the present day, an anchor in one form or another may be the first nautical tattoo a young sailor acquires (often during his or her first liberty from boot camp) and is essentially an initiation rite into the naval service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Braided rope\/line:<\/b> Usually placed around left wrist; indicates a deck division seaman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese\/Asian dragon:<\/b> Symbolizes luck and strength \u2014 originated in the pre\u2013World War II Asiatic Fleet and usually indicated service in China. Much later, dragons came to symbolize WESTPAC service in general (also worn embroidered or as patches inside jumper cuffs and on cruise jackets).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compass rose or nautical star:<\/b> Worn so that a sailor will always find his\/her way back to port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crossed anchors:<\/b> Often placed on the web between left thumb and forefinger; indicate a boatswain\u2019s mate or boatswain (U.S. Navy rating badge).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crossed ship\u2019s cannon or guns:<\/b> Signify naval vice merchant service; sometimes in combination with a U.S. Navy\u2013specific or patriotic motif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crosses:<\/b> In many variations \u2014 worn as a sign of faith or talisman. When placed on the soles of the feet, crosses were thought to repel sharks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dagger piercing a heart: <\/b>Often combined with the motto \u201cDeath Before Dishonor\u201d \u2014 symbolizes the end of a relationship due to unfaithfulness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full-rigged ship:<\/b> In commemoration of rounding Cape Horn (antiquated).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golden Dragon:<\/b> Indicated crossing the international dateline into the \u201crealm of the golden dragon\u201d (Asia).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHold Fast\u201d or \u201cShipmate\u201d: <\/b>Tattooed across knuckles of both hands so that the phrases can be read from left to right by someone standing opposite. Originally thought to give a seaman a firm grip on a ship\u2019s rigging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hula girl and\/or palm tree:<\/b> On occasion, hula girls would be rendered in a risqu\u00e9 fashion; both tattoos indicated service in Hawaii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pig and rooster:<\/b> This combination \u2014 pig on top of the left foot, rooster on top of the right \u2014 was thought to prevent drowning. The superstition likely hearkens back to the age of sail, when livestock was carried onboard ships. If a ship was lost, pigs and roosters \u2014 in or on their crates \u2014 floated free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shellback turtle:<\/b> Indicates that a Sailor has crossed the equator. \u201cCrossing the line\u201d is also indicated by a variety of other themes, such as fancifully rendered geo-coordinates, King Neptune, mermaids, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ships\u2019 propellers (screws):<\/b> A more extreme form of Sailors\u2019 body art: One large propeller is tattooed on each buttock (\u201ctwin screws\u201d) to keep the bearer afloat and propel him or her back to home and loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sombrero:<\/b> Often shown worn by a girl. May have indicated service on ships home-ported in San Pedro (Terminal Island, Los Angeles) or San Diego prior to World War II, a liberty taken in Tijuana, or participation in interwar Central and South American cruises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swallow:<\/b> Each rendition originally symbolized 5,000 nautical miles underway; swallows were and still are displayed in various poses, often in combination with a U.S. Navy \u2014specific motif or sweetheart\u2019s\/spouse\u2019s name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finding an ink-free service member is infinitely more rare than the alternative, but that is a relatively new phenomenon. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":110002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":91,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,91,12,25,19,69],"tags":[8467,8468],"coauthors":[3376],"class_list":["post-73673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-military-history","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans","category-your-marine-corps","tag-military-history","tag-war-history"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2WOLK7UH7ZCNZKQ2VOODJWL5EM","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/07\/18\/how-wwii-brought-about-the-normalization-of-tattoos\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nHow WWII brought about the normalization of tattoos - 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