Sutherland Macdonald (1860–1942) was a prominent English tattoo artist in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and the first tattooist in Britain with an identifiable premises open to the public. Operating in a salon in London's Jermyn Street, he is listed in the 1894 London Post Office Directory. He is considered the first person to offer a professional tattoo service in London, although the practice was already popular in Japan and the Middle East prior to that time.[1] He was erroneously said to have tattooed kings and princes, including George V when he was Duke of York.[2]
Sutherland Macdonald | |
|---|---|
.png) In The Sketch, 23 January 1895 | |
| Born | 25 June 1860 Boundary Terrace, Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 18 June 1942 (aged 81) |
| Burial place | Surbiton Cemetery |
| Occupation | Tattoo artist |
| Spouse(s) | Sophia Weedon Annie Caroline Mayne (M:1887) Amy Mary Keen (M:1934) |
| Parents |
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Life and career edit
Sutherland Macdonald was born in Boundary Terrace, Leeds on 25 June 1860. He served in the British Army in the 1870s as a telegraph operator in the Royal Engineers and was in the Anglo-Zulu War.[3]
In addition to artistic designs, he also performed color blending on skin grafts of accident victims.[4]
He died on 18 June 1942 at his home on 3 Guilford Avenue, Surbiton, and is buried at Surbiton Cemetery.[3]
Legacy edit
On 29 January 2016, the Museum of London opened a display which included some of his work called Tattoo London.[5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "The man who started the tattoo craze in Britain is coming to a museum near you". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Barker, Dudley (23 February 1937). "This Tattooing Business". Evening Standard. No. 35, 098. London, England. p. 7. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Lodder, Matt. "Macdonald, Sutherland". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/100996. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Written at London. "Tattoo Needle 'Darns Socks'". Sunday News. Vol. 13, no. 10. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. UP. 17 November 1935. p. 49. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Incredible ink". The Independent on Sunday. No. 1, 349. London, England. 10 January 2016. p. 3. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.