Sailor Jerry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins (born 1911, died 1973) is considered the foremost American tattoo artist of his time. He expanded the array of colors available by developing his own safe pigments. He created needle formations that embedded pigment with much less trauma to the skin, and he was one of the first to utilize single-use needles and hospital-quality sterilization. His attention to detail was so precise that the riggings in his nautical tattoos were perfectly accurate. Artistically, his influence stems from his union of the roguish attitude of the American sailor with the mysticism and technical prowess of the Far East. He maintained a close correspondence with Japanese tattoo masters during his career. He regarded tattoos as the ultimate rebellion against "the Squares".
Sailor Jerry’s first studio was in Honolulu's Chinatown, then the only place on the island where tattoo studios were located. He thrived in the hotbed of competition. His work was so widely copied, he took to printing "The Original Sailor Jerry" on his business cards.
A mischievous sense of humor is frequently on display in Sailor Jerry’s work, which included such impish designs as the "Aloha Chimpanzee", an image of a monkey bent over with its head facing out from between its legs and "ALOHA" spelled out on its behind (with a red "O" that also doubles as the chimpanzee's anus). Yet he was an avid and vocal proponent of professionalism and craft. In the tattoo world, he was well-known for his frequent campaigns against middling practitioners, whom he called "scab artists". Conversely, he went out of his way to mentor those tattoo artists whose talents and attitude he respected, among them tattoo legends Don Ed Hardy and Mike Malone, to whom he entrusted his legacy of flash designs.
At age 19, Sailor Jerry signed up in the US Navy. It was during his subsequent travels at sea when he was exposed to the art and imagery of Southeast Asia. He remained a sailor for his entire life thereafter. Even during his career as tattoo artist, he worked as licensed skipper of a large three-masted schooner, which he used to conduct tours of the Hawaiian islands. Sailing and tattooing were only two of his professional endeavors. He played saxophone in his own dance band and for years, Sailor Jerry was the ultra conservative, frequently controversial host of his own night talk show on KTRG radio, where he broadcast as "Old Ironsides". Among those things he railed against were against flashy tattoo artists such as Lyle Tuttle — and what he called "hippie tattoo" culture. From his 20s to his late 50s, he stopped tattooing entirely as a part of a disagreement with the IRS.
[edit] Legacy of Sailor Jerry
Sailor Jerry’s entrusted his name and his artwork to his two proteges, Ed Hardy and Mike Malone, both who have become prominent figures in their own right. Hardy (who turned down an MFT scholarship to Yale in order to pursue tattooing) is known for his artistic sophistication and large-scale tattoos. Malone (who also designs under the name "Rollo Banks") is known for his conceptual boldness and distinctive designs. Hardy and Malone own the royalties to Sailor Jerry’s tattoo flash. And it was Malone who took over Sailor Jerry’s Honolulu tattoo parlor.
Sailor Jerry is buried in the "Punchbowl", a cemetery located in the crater of extinct volcano in Honolulu. His grave site is 124/Section T.
[edit] Sailor Jerry Ltd
In 1999, Hardy and Malone partnered with a small independent Philadelphia clothing company to to establish Sailor Jerry Ltd., which produces clothing and an idiosyncratic collection of other items, such as ash trays, high-top sneakers, playing cards, church keys and shot glasses. An anti-sweatshop company, nearly all Sailor Jerry items are produced in the United States and sold via the company’s web site or from the Sailor Jerry Store on 38 N. 3rd Street in Philadelphia, which frequently plays host to performances by independent musicians. Links to bands the company supports are a prominent feature of the web site. The company also showcases rising talents with its "Artist Series", which it describes as a way to "keep Sailor Jerry’s legacy alive and kicking".
Sailor Jerry Ltd. produces a 92 proof spiced navy rum featuring a quintessential Sailor Jerry hula girl on the label. It is based on the kind of rums that sailors used to create by infusing on-board stocks of rum with spices. Sailor Jerry rum is distilled in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Sailor Jerry's letters and art are owned and managed by Sailor Jerry Ltd.
