10 Historical Figures You Didn’t Know Had Tattoos

Tattoos have been around for a long time. While they remained taboo in the Western world until recently, quite a few powerful political leaders had hidden ink of their own. So next time someone shames you for your tattoos, inform them about these 10 historical figures that had tattoos of their own.

Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the 7^th president of the United States. He’s mostly remembered for his controversial campaign to kill and relocate Native Americans. As if that wasn’t enough, he ironically had a tattoo of a giant tomahawk on his inner thigh. Yeah, a tomahawk, a weapon, and toll closely associated with the culture he tried to destroy.

James K. Polk
Another president with another hidden tattoo. James Polk spent most of his presidency buying up land for the US. We can also credit him with starting the Chinese character tattoo craze. President Polk had a tattoo of a Chinese character, which translates to “eager”. It could have been worse!

Teddy Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt was the 26^th President of the US and had such a great run as president that his face even made it up on Mount Rushmore. What Mount Rushmore didn’t capture was his ink. Roosevelt reportedly had the Roosevelt family crest tattooed on his chest. We would expect nothing less from a man like him.

John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth wasn’t a president, but you probably learned about him in history class. He was a 26-year-old actor that shot and assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. They say actors have big egos, and we believe it after learning that Booth had his own initials tattooed on his hand.

Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison invited a ton of things, but did you know he also had a hand in creating the first tattoo machine? He was the one that created the first electric pen, which Samuel O’Reilly then used to develop the first tattoo machine. Edison was so intrigued that he ended up with 5 cryptic dots on his forearm.

Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was a fantastic leader for Britain during WW2. Many would be surprised to know that he had a tattoo, a classic anchor on his forearm. His mother probably didn’t mind, seeing as she had a tattoo of a snake on her wrist that she hid with jewelry.

Czar Nicholas II
He’s known as the last emperor of Imperial Russia, but Czar Nicholas also had some ink. In 1891 he traveled to Japan to try to improve Russo-Japanese relations. He came back with a little souvenir- a colorful dragon tattoo on his arm. That’s one way to mend a relationship.

George Orwell
The famed author of classics like, 1984, no only used ink to get his words across but also to mark his body. While serving as a policeman in Burma in his youth, Orwell for a blue dot on each knuckle, the dots were supposed to protect the wearer from harm.

King Frederick IX of Denmark
King Frederick led Denmark for 25 years, and he was known for being a badass. His number of tattoos only reinforced this. His ink covered his arms and chest and he acquired them during his time as a sailor.

R.H. Macy
You might not know the name, but you sure know his legacy. R.H. Macy was the founder of Macy’s department store. You probably know the red star logo, but did you know it was inspired from R.H. Macy’s own tattoo? He had a red star on his forearm that he got in his youth when he was a sailor.

Want some cool ink? Contact us to set up an appointment today.

Q&A: Should I Be Worried About My Raised Tattoo?

First things first, don’t panic. Tattoos become raised for a variety of reasons, most of them nothing to worry about. We understand it can be concerning to see lumps and bumps where your ink is. Here are a few reasons as to why your tattoo may be raised and what you should do about it.

Rising Reasons
As we said, tattoos rise for a number of reasons. It’s not always easy to figure out the exact cause so take notes as to when, how often, and what you’re doing when the rising happens. The more information you have, the better chance you have at figuring out what’s causing it to happen. Here are a few of the likely candidates causing your tattoo to rise.

Healing
A big reason tattoo artists don’t freak out when a client tells us their tattoos are raised is that that is a perfectly normal part of the tattoo healing process. It’s caused by the body trying to heal itself. You may also notice scabbing, flaking, fading and oozing as your tattoo heals. None of it sounds pleasant, and it doesn’t always look it, but it’s perfectly normal. All of this should go away if you follow aftercare advice. Don’t panic if it doesn’t go away right away either. It can take months for a raised tattoo to go down. 

Heat
We told you to take notes on everything because the weather can have a big impact on your skin. A lot of people notice that their tattoos rise during warmer weather, like during summer. The reasons are simply your body swelling due to the heat. Humidity, heat, and dry air can all irritate skin, which can cause your tattoo to rise. It’s totally normal and if this is the cause you probably notice it goes away once it becomes cooler.

Scarring
Scaring is one cause that is permanent. Scar tissue can form during the tattoo process and cause it to stay raised, even once it’s fully healed. It’s pretty uncommon, but it can happen if the tattoo artist isn’t trained. The scarring happens when the artist pushes too deep into the skin causing scar tissue to form. The scarring can go down, but it will still remain. This is why it’s important to go to a licensed tattoo shop and see a professionally trained tattoo artist.

Infection
It’s rare, but unfortunately, sometimes tattoos become infected. The chances of infections are low when you follow proper aftercare advice and visit reputable tattoo shops, but they do still happen. Symptoms of infection depend on the individual but common ones are swelling, white dots, rashes, and oozing in the tattooed area. Always get an infected tattoo treated as quickly as possible to limit the amount of damage to your body.

Allergies
Being allergic to tattoo ink is uncommon, but it’s been known to happen. Allergies could cause the tattoo to rise, even if it’s been awhile since the tattoo was done. Allergies can develop at any stage of life so you may not notice them when you first get inked. If an allergy is serious you may have to get the tattoo removed. In most cases, the tattoo just becomes slightly raised, swollen, and irritated. Creams, aloe vera, and allergy medication can help relieve symptoms.

Individual
Honestly, this isn’t what people want to hear, but sometimes it’s just the individual. People’s bodies are different, so each person reacts differently to tattoos. That’s why it’s so hard to give an exact healing time because it’s different for everyone. If you have sensitive skin the tattoo may stay raised longer after healing or rise more often. If you have other skin conditions such as eczema, they could cause the tattoo to rise too. Don’t worry though because usually, a raised tattoo isn’t noticeable to others.

What To Do
Don’t panic right away if your tattoo is rising. If the rising is causing pain, discomfort, or lasts for a long time you may want to consult with a doctor. Don’t irritate a raised tattoo further by scratching it.

Contact us if you have any questions about your tattoos. If you are interested in getting a tattoo come by our downtown Toronto tattoo shop to set up an appointment.