Sailor Jerry is to tattooing what Dyson is to vacuum cleaners, ok so maybe a terrible analogy but you catch my drift.
He has had so much influence in tattooing, especially American Traditional tattooing and even if you're not a fan of tattoos you've probably seen his artwork on people or on the store shelves gracing a bottle of rum (an example of how the corporate world has profited from the popularity of tattoos). If you're interested in how his art and name was taken advantage of by corporate entities have a quick watch of Stewed, Screwed and Tattooed : The Selling of Sailor Jerry
His real name was Normal Keith Collins and aside from being a tattooist he was an active sailor having sailed the Pacific Ocean (hence the name). He spent a lot of time in Hawaii and the palm trees an hula girls that adorn his flash sheets pay homage to the island.
I haven't gone in depth into his life, the links below provide more than enough information which I'd just be regurgitating, instead I want to talk his art and tattoo style and how it has influenced not only myself but probably most tattooers in the industry.
The 'Old School' style (I like to call American Traditional even though it is found on in the UK too) is a great style for tattooing. The line work isn't overly complicated, neither are the designs and the color palettes have a distinct look and feel, probably down to the fact that the number of colors they had at the time were limited.
The use of black to provide contrast (which makes a tattoo readable as a tattoo ages) is something that many tattooers will swear by today. Keeping multiple varieties of color blends to a minimum also plays a part because as a tattoo ages, the skin tans and stretches, some subtle color blends aren't as apparent. The use of mainly one line weight and always having a black line in the piece gave rise to 'bold will hold' amongst tattooers that believe the longevity of a tattoo is increased by keeping it together (again making to more readable) with a good weight line around and in the design.
A classic example would be that of a galleon or ship, he has so many examples of ships in his flash (he had a real love for sailing), the use of black in the shading of the sails in his boats for me is a thing of beauty, his pinup girls are simple (in so far as pinup art goes today) but capture a sort of sexy, cheeky feel with minimal detail and even though the body proportions aren't realistic it just seems to work, it almost epitamises what a tattoo is for me having seen a lot of real old traditional work on people when I was younger. There's a certain nostalgia to it.
I don't think tattooing would be where it is today in terms of popularity and exposure without Sailor Jerry, ships, skulls, roses, swallow, butterflies, there's something for everyone when you look at his flash sheet. I've tattooed many Sailor Jerry flash pieces and each time I do I realise just how suited his artwork was for tattooing at that time and even today.
Next time you're thinking of getting a tattoo don't be so hasty to see what the latest trend is, take some time to look at some American Traditional pieces, or artists that do this work, hell why not get a Sailor Jerry flash piece and hold a part of tattooing history on you. The style is timeless for tattooing.
If you'd like to watch a documentary on the mans' life Hori Smoku : The Life of Norman K Collins is a good start.
Watch on YouTube
For a more in depth look at his life and to really get to know the man then the book American Tattoo Master is a good read which includes letters he wrote to Ed Hardy at the time and provides an insight into the time he lived and his thoughts (wether you agree with some of them or not)
Sailor Jerry : American Tattoo Master
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sailor-Jerry-Collins-American-Tattoo/dp/0945367112
Peace Out