Nobody can be sure when the first tattoos existed but they have been around for thousands of years in many different cultures. Until fairly recently they were not considered to be something done by polite company but these days everybody can have them without worrying what people might think.

The word tattoo is said to come from a Tahitian word which means to mark. The sailors who arrived in Tahiti did not have tattoos and were surprised to discover the Polynesians were covered with tattoos. Later native american indians were also found to have extensive tattoos. In Europe the art of tattooing had almost disappeared at this time.