While we may think tattoos have been made popular today by a celebrity and in the past only worn by sailors or bikers, you would be amazed to find out that tattoos have been a part of life for centuries and centuries and was performed world-wide by the time of Christ. The first known celebrity, if you will, would have been King Harold II of England who is the first known royalty to bear a tattoo. It was a tattoo on his chest that identified him as the king to William the Conqueror as he lay dying on the battlefield in 1066. It read, "Edith and England" which was a reference to his mistress and later wife and is reported to be one of a few tattoos upon the king's body. Tattoos as a fashion seemed to fade with King Harold II's death but re-emerged as fashionable as the exploration of the globe progressed in the 1600's.



At this point in time is when sailors came back with tattoos after their voyages and it was a matter of time before the royal and socially elite started putting ink to their skin. The mother of Winston Churchill, Lady Randolph Spencer Churchill, was mentioned as having a small snake tattoo around her wrist which she covered by bracelets went she desired for it not to show. She was one of many who sported tattoos at the time, men or women. Franklin D. Roosevelt had a tattoo of his family crest and Thomas Edison had five dots on his forearm arranged like the five dots on a die.

More recently in time is a resurgence in the art of tattooing from famous movie stars to sport's icons and of course the musician. Could there be anyone that draws more attention to tattoo art than perhaps the actress Angelina Jolie? Ms. Jolie has had several tattoo sessions and a few tattoo removal sessions as well. Of all her current tattoos, there are three that stand out and are most remembered by people. It is her Thai tattoos of the Buddhist Pali incantation and Bengal tiger both done by Sompong Kanhphaiin tattoo artist in Thailand as well as the geographic coordinates on her arm in reference to the birthplaces of her children. Angelina is not alone in the actor field sporting a tattoo, but musicians have probably been more noted for their body art.

Lenny Kravitz has at least two ink jobs with a cross and a dragon, Jon Bon Jovi carries a superman insignia, long horn skull and a dragon tat, while Beyonce has a praying angel on her upper thigh. Brittany Spears has brought to light the importance of choosing tattoos carefully. The sport's world also has members with body art. Who can forget Dennis Rodman's numerous tattoos all over including a picture of his daughter, a cross and a Harley Davidson tattoo. David Beckham is reported to have nine tattoos that make reference to family and his sport and a winged guardian angel to look over all of them which is placed across the shoulder blades and down his spine. Anna Kournikova has a large star pattern inked in on her lower back.

Tattoo art now embraces all of humanity, from all races and income levels. The reasons for a tattoo may be clear or unknown, but tattoo is an artful language developed over centuries and continues strong today.