Military Tattoo or Military Tattoos?

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Military Tattoo or Military Tattoos?

If you would like to get a military tattoo and are stationed in the Rhode Island area, visit Inflicting Ink Tattoo Studio in Portsmouth. We gladly take walk-ins and appointments and offer state of the art sterile facilities for both tattooing and laser tattoo removal.

2 Tattoos or not 2 Tattoos?

by Star

Two Tattoos? Let’s ponder that question. And no, I don’t mean the question of whether or not a second tattoo is needed. What I want to lay out for you is why “tattoo” is in our book twice.

Does tattoo have two meanings? Yes. It does.

One you probably knew (and the other one):

tattoo #78: Military tattoos–the skin art kind to mark with an indelible design by inserting pigment into punctures in the skin or a design made in such a way

tattoo #730: Tattoo–a thrill to experience a military display consisting of music, marching, and exercises or an evening drum or bugle signal recalling soldiers to their quarters

(Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press)

If you’re like me, maybe you’ve seen and enjoyed a festival that included fife and drum corps, the sound of bagpipes and bugles, and people in “very military” looking uniforms. You just didn’t know that may have been a “tattoo.”

Next to the Fourth of July’s fireworks and patriotic music and parades, these types of events hold a special place in my heart. That feeling only grew fonder when I later found out that these “very military” looking uniformed performers were borne of military tradition and history. I was just slow to realize.

The term “tattoo” dates from the seventeenth century’s British Army days. Drummers from the garrison were sent out into the towns at 2130—that’s #770 or Military time for 9:30pm—each evening to inform the soldiers that it was time to return to barracks. The process was known as “doe den tap toe” and encouraged the innkeepers to turn off the taps, stop serving beer, and send the soldiers home for the night.

I can’t help but wonder if soldiers were not only being called from the inns but out of the “tattoo parlors” as well.

According to PBS, tattoos for early-American military members were a tradition started in 1846 by Martin Hildebrandt who set up a permanent tattoo shop in New York City and began tattooing sailors and military servicemen from both sides of the Civil War. I can easily imagine them fresh from the fields of war celebrating the latest successful battle or memorializing their fallen brothers forever marked on their hearts and skin.

Read more HERE
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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers. Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.

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About Our Tattoo Studio and Artists

Welcome to Inflicting Ink Tattoo. If you're looking for quality tattoo's from experienced artists in a clean, relaxed and professional environment then you have found the right place.

Our staff are professionally trained and come from diverse backgrounds, and they love to be challenged. At Inflicting Ink a tattoo is a special mark for each individual and is given its due respect. If you're in a hurry, you're in the wrong studio.

Inflicting Ink is located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
We are open 7 days a week:
Mon-Sat noon to 10
Sun noon to 8

Stop in for a visit or make an appointment by calling 401.683.5680

And check out our state-of-the-art, fully functional and self-contained traveling tattoo truck at: http://inflictinginktravelingtattoo.com/

We also specialize in LASER TATTOO REMOVAL!

Jeff Goyette Bio

Jeff Goyette was born and raised in Massachusetts where tattooing was illegal, and to this day is only allowed on a per community basis, with each community deciding for themselves whether to allow it or not. Jeff still wanted to be a tattoo artist, and so learned his trade and took it on the road with the tattoo tour where he continued his tattoo education through coursework and tour experience.

In 1993 Jeff opened Inflicting Ink Tattoo Studio in Portsmouth RI as a way to get out of touring and establish some roots in the community. He has been in this location for 17 years. After a few years in the shop however, he wanted to use his traveling experience to be able to bring tattooing to people who might not have the chance to get to a brick-and-mortar shop.

So he built the Inflicting Ink Traveling Tattoo truck, over 73 feet of truck housing a state of the art, sterile, mobile tattoo facility ~ there is nothing else like it on the planet, literally, as the Guiness Book of World Records has named it the largest tattoo facility in the world, but simply has no category to place it in.

The truck travels to fairs, events, concerts, and even does private parties, drawing large crowds and those who do not have access to a local tattoo studio for their body art. Jeff loves when he can give back to a community, and often simply brings the truck to draw in numbers at charity events whenever possible, whether any tattooing will be done or not.

He and his artists model their work on the belief that a customer should always feel that they have received a quality piece of art, that the work is consistent, and that they can be proud of their tattoo as well as where it came from.