You may know famous names of the tattoos like Sailor Jerry, or at least they sound familiar to youBut that's not to say that darker ones, like Fred Harris, aren't just as interesting.
As you will see in this article dedicated to this Australian tattoo artist, Fred Harris was quite a personality in the Sydney of the 30s, a legend that even tattooed personalities like Betty broadbent.
Fred Harris tattoos
Fred Harris probably did not know that that small tattoo studio he opened in 1916 on Sussex Street in Sydney would become a tattoo icon on the Australian continent. for more than thirty years, but that's how it was.
During this time, The walls decorated with tattoo samples from Harris' studio witnessed thousands of tattoos, no more and no less than about 2000 a year. And despite what it may seem, his clientele was not just sailors, but there were also horsemen and even women (the star tattoo of the time was freckles!).
Sydney in the 30s
Knowing Fred Harris and his work also allows us to know what a Sydney of the 30s was like very peculiar: that of tattoos, until a little ago a world underground and apart from mainstream.
SYou know that Fred Harris tattooed a lot of different designs, but the fashion was changing as the times also changed. For example, when World War II was declared, the designs that gained popularity overnight were those related to patriotism and war, such as flags or regimental numbers.
55 Tell us, what do you think of the story of this pioneer? Do you have any tattoos done by a famous tattoo artist? Remember that you can tell us what you want, you just have to leave us a comment!