A Brief History of American Traditional Tattoos: Bold Lines Still Hold

American Traditional tattoos are instantly recognizable by their thick black lines, bold colors, and timeless designs like anchors, daggers, roses, and skulls. But behind the flash sheets and throwback aesthetic lies a deep cultural history shaped by rebellion, war, and underground artistry.

This is more than just a style. It’s a visual language passed down through generations, inked in bars, battlefields, and back-alley shops. Let’s look at where it started and the artists who defined the look that still dominates tattoo flash walls today.

American Traditional (or “Western traditional”) tattooing evolved in the early 20th century, merging military iconography, maritime symbolism, and classic Americana. The bold lines weren’t just stylistic, they were practical. Tattoos had to last through sun exposure, aging skin, and rough living.

Early tattooers weren’t working in luxury studios; they were found in carnivals, ports, and gritty city streets. Their clients were drifters, sailors, and soldiers, and their art reflected that life: rough, romantic, and raw.

Sailor Jerry (Norman Keith Collins)

If American Traditional has a patron saint, it’s Sailor Jerry. Born Norman Keith Collins, he began tattooing while traveling across the U.S. by train, eventually settling in Honolulu. There, he tattooed sailors on leave during World War II and transformed the craft with his unique style, cleaner lines, richer pigments, and heavy Asian art influence from Japanese irezumi.

Sailor Jerry didn’t just tattoo; he revolutionized technique. He developed sterilization standards, built his needle configurations, and introduced purple ink. His designs of swallows, hula girls, ships, and snakes have become the blueprint for the style.

Bert Grimm

Often called the “grandfather of old-school tattooing,” Bert Grimm ran one of the longest-operating tattoo parlors in the U.S., located on the Long Beach Pike in California. He was a true working-class artist, tattooing from the 1920s to the 1980s, and left his mark on everyone from circus performers to Navy men.

Grimm’s flash sheets were brutally straightforward eagles, daggers, hearts, and devils, and they became foundational reference material for generations of tattooers. His shop also served as a proving ground for countless apprentices, helping keep American Traditional alive and evolving.

Don Ed Hardy

Before Ed Hardy became a brand name slapped on rhinestone trucker hats, Don Ed Hardy was a trailblazing artist who helped legitimize tattooing as a fine art. Apprenticed under Sailor Jerry himself, Hardy brought a new sense of purpose to tattooing by merging traditional flash with Japanese techniques and academic art training.

Hardy emphasized that tattoos could be custom, spiritual, or even narrative. While he’s sometimes misremembered as a fashion figure, his real impact was helping American Traditional evolve into something more expressive and global, without losing its gritty roots.

Mildred Hull

Tattoo history often forgets the women who shaped it, but Mildred Hull, known as “The Queen of the Bowery,” was a pioneer. Working in the 1930s out of a sideshow-style shop in NYC, Hull was one of the first known female tattoo artists in the United States.

Covered in her own ink and known for her flamboyant personality, Hull tattooed sailors, criminals, and tourists alike. Her flash work had flair, classic motifs like eagles and roses, but with an elegance and symmetry all her own. She was proof that boldness in tattooing wasn’t just for the boys.

American Traditional tattooing isn't just a trend, it’s a foundation. Those bold lines and timeless images speak a universal language: protection, love, danger, freedom. Whether it’s a heart pierced by a dagger or a skull wrapped in a serpent, every design carries meaning.

Even as styles shift and digital art explodes, Traditional tattoos continue to influence everything from high-end tattoo studios to streetwear graphics and band merch. That’s because at its core, American Traditional is about clarity, impact, and storytelling.