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.

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.