Objects appear across every era and style of tattooing, and they are rarely chosen for their appearance alone. An object can carry historical or cultural symbolism accumulated over centuries. It can represent a tradition, a belief system, a craft, or a profession. It can function as a code within a subculture, or as something entirely private that only the wearer can read. Often several of these at once. The articles here cover individual objects as tattoo subjects: where their symbolic associations come from, how tattooing has adopted and reshaped them, and what each image has carried across different contexts and periods.
All | Animals | Botanicals | Maritime | Mythology & Fantasy | Sacred & Spiritual | Subculture | Objects | Patterns
The rose is almost certainly the single most frequently tattooed image in Western tattooing. It has been part of the flash vocabulary since the earliest commercial tattoo shops, it crosses every major style from traditional to fine line, it appears on every body part, and it carries a range of meanings wide enough to accommodate almost any personal intention.
The anchor tattoo is one of the oldest and most recognisable motifs in the world of body art. Simple in shape, yet rich in meaning, this symbol has been etched into the skin of seafarers, soldiers, and civilians alike for centuries. Far more than a decorative choice, the anchor carries deep historical, cultural, and personal significance.