Brandi Burgin

Professor Viens
Public Speaking
Informative Speech Outline
Topic: History of tattoos to today.
Purpose: To inform the class about the history and todays view of tattoos.
Introduction:
Think of all the times you hear a story starting out as the other night, I got drunk and
thought it would be a great idea to get a tattoo; you can literally hear the regret in that persons
voice. However, I was born and raised into a crazy tatted up family and in my world, tattoos are
a necessity. The world has not always been so free to expressing yourself using tattoos, in fact,
many people still believe that our bodies are temples & they are not to be drawn on.
Transition: Today, a history lesson will be presented, however, its about the history of tattoos.
Body:
I. First Point: Egyptian mummies found with tattoos & their meanings:
a. The longest dated mummy found with tattoos is known as Iceman
i. From the area of the Italian-Austrian border in 1991 and his tattoo
patterns, making this date get pushed back to when he was dated at around
5,200 years old.
ii. Had dotted tattoos & crosses around his spine, right knee, and ankle joints
that indicated they used tattoos as a therapeutic technic
b. Egyptian women had tattoos as well
i. These tattoos represented markings of the dancing girls
ii. Were buried in different ways that showed prestigious and royalty of
these women
iii. Also were tattooed around the abdomen area and breast to help ease pain
during pregnancy and child birth
c. How they were created
i. Archeaologist Petrie found two different types of machines:
1. A sharp point needle places in a wooden handle that was dated
back to 3000 BC
2. Also discovered a set of flat point needles in the ancient town of
Gurob
d. Other mummies found with tattoos:
i. Nubians to the south of Egypt are known to have used tattoos
 ii. Kubban women dated in 2000 to 15000 B.C were found to have blue
tattoos
iii. The ancient Egyptians also represented the male leaders of the Libya
neighbors, 1300-1100 BC, with clear, geometrical tattoo marks on their
arms and legs
1. Portrayed them in Egyptian tomb, temple and palace scenes
iv. The Scythian Pazyryk of the Altai Mountain region
1. In 1948, the 2,400 year old body of a Scythian male was
discovered preserved in sice in Siberia, his limbs and torso covered
in ornate tattoos of mythical animals.
2. In 1993, a women was found with the same mystical creatures
around her shoulders, wrist and thumb; found in a tomb in Altai

II. Second Point: Tattoos within the Victorian age

a. In 1862, the Prince of Wales, who later became king Edward VII, received his
first tattoo
i. A Jerusalem cross made by Francois Souwan
ii. Started a fad among aristocracy
b. In 1882, Edwards Sons, the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of York were tattooed
by the Japanese tattooist Hoti Chiyo. Received a dragon on his arm.
c. In the 19th century suggested that tattooing was confined to seaman and
sometimes soldiers.
d. The first permanent tattoo shop in NYC was set up in 1846 and began a tradition
by tattooing military servicemen from both sides of the civil war.
i. Samuel OReilly invented the electric tattooing machine in 1891
e. Many 19th century people claimed that they were unwillingly tattooed
i. John Rutherford who arrived on the exhibition scene in 1827 with a full
Moko tattoo on his face said he was captured and tattooed by force.
f. During the 19th century leading figures in Society criticized the practice,
associating it with the rough life of sailors, port towns and prostitutes.
g. In 1882 King George V was given a large dragon tattoo on his arm on a visit to
Japan
i. In 1900, it was estimated that 90% of all sailors in the US Navy were
tattooed, while the second World War saw a surge in patriotic tattoos
among servicemen.

III. Third Point: Tattoos from Freakshows to Reality Tv

a. Anni Irish: Tattooed Researcher that focuses on body modification, fetishism and
the social-cultural history of Tattooing in America.
i. The American attitude towards tattoos in the 19th century:
1. 1880s, early 1890s, there was the idea that people with tattoos
were associated with criminality and underground, seedy things.
b. Tied to sailors, prostitution and crime
i. Had to do with where the tattoo parlors were located- many were near
shipyards and attracted sailors.
c. Also carried over into attitudes about the freak shows and many performers who
inhabited their stages.
i. Were looked down upon, many people paid to see them in an
entertainment venue.
d. How did people get tattoos in the 19th century
i. People were getting tattooed by hand until the tattoo machine came out in
the 19th century
ii. Tattoo shops werent illegal, but they were still underground
iii. Made illegal in many states during the 20th century and some states like
New York didnt change the laws until 1997
iv. It was a word-of-mouth type thing if you wanted a tattoo.
v. The illegality in the 20th century had to do with the fear of needle safety
1. Fears of HIV, Intravenous drug use, etc.
e. Why were women so interested in seeing women tattooed
i. There is a huge sexualization to it because a lot of women were wearing
skimpy outfits on stage and showcasing skin with personal markings on
them.
1. It was acceptable for men to have tattoos, but were seen as low-
class
f. When did women get into tattooing?
i. Maude Wagner; the first female tattoo artist
ii. Nora Hildebrandt was the first official tattooed women, maude was
actually the first to start tattooing.
iii. Her husband Gus, was a tattoo artist and gave her tattoos. She eventually
became his apprentice
1. They were some of the last professional tattoo artists to be
exclusively tattooing by hand
g. Only a small group of women became tattoo artists because it was a masculine
boys club
i. Nora and Gus were getting press time in the New York times even though
tattooing was underground.
ii. Known as two of the greatest tattoo artists
h. Tattoos in todays
i. Tattoo have become more acceptable
ii. Still are frowned upon in most professions
i. Theyre both entertainment platforms, and its a recapitulation of culture in
todays world.
j. Two of the most famous tattoo women are Kat Von D and Megan Masscre
i. Very good tattoo artists and they do modeling
 ii. No one twenty years ago would of thought that people could make a living
off of tattoos.

Conclusion: From the past to the present, tattoos have been seen as a sense of rebellion or the
look that represents the lower-class. Tattooing has been in our world since the B.C times,
however, it is still socially unacceptable. When I look at my family, I see a group of tattooed, bad
ass people who like to be their own set of people. I do not believe that tattoos define us as people
or classify us as a lower-class family because that is not the case. Tattoos express originality and
have much more meanings behind them than that meets the eye.