Tattoo Pioneers: Lyle Tuttle

 

Considered as a “father of modern tattooing”, Lyle Tuttle began tattooing professionally in 1949 with the likes of Bert Grimm before opening his first shop in San Francisco in 1954. A pioneer in old school, Tuttle was the first artist to tattoo in all seven continents, introducing bold outlines, bright colours and traditional designs around the world.

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Tuttle gained fame through self-promotion, having tattooed icons such as Janis Joplin, recognized as being the first female celebrity with a visible tattoo. An art form once reserved for sailors and ex-inmates, Tuttle praised women’s liberation for the resurgence of tattooing and quote “women made tattooing a softer and kinder art form.”

Lyle Tuttle was a pioneer who paved the way for today’s old school tattoo artists. Rest in peace to a legend.

 
Black Widow