When was color introduced in tattoos?

[Johnny Boy]

Hi!

I was thinking of making a heart with a sword through it, but i want to make it as vintage as possible, did they have colors (like red) in the 1950's? If not how would a tattoo like that look?

 

[jackknife barber]

Yep, they've had colored tattoo pigments since before WWII. They've been in popular use since then. The industry has made great strides in the last fifty years. Particularly with the quality of tattoo machines and pigments available. The good tattoo supply companies still sell only to licensed tattoo artists. The patterns you want to look at are American Traditional.

 

[Sally]

Oh yes! That's vintage! Just make sure you don't add too much color, and stick to black most.

 

[Distant Thunder]

Ya, they had color back then. The shop will know how to make it look vintage. It will be cool.