NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Have you noticed a lot of ink in the French Quarter this week? Colorful tattoos are everywhere as we saw this week during the Tales of the Cocktail.
“Many of the most popular tattoos today originated from Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins, the undisputed father of old-school tattooing,” Sailor Jerry Rum ambassador Daniel “Gravy” Thomas tells News with a Twist.
At least 51 percent of millennials have a tattoo, compared to 31 percent of Americans overall.
“It’s no longer just that individual in the corner that you might be a little intimidated by,” Gravy tells us. “It’s each and every kind of individual, and especially the millennials with a fresh of breath air and wanting to stand alone and stand out of the crowd, for sure.”
“Gravy,” who sports at least 50 tattoos, tells us what to look for.
“This week in the French Quarter doing Tales of the Cocktail you’re going to see a lot of old-school, traditional Sailor Jerry tattoos,” he says.
“Gravy” tells us there are five key tattoos in the Sailor Jerry realm of old-school tattooing:
Ships
“The ship was mystical and metaphoric and meaningful to the sailor because that’s where they worked, and that’s also where adventure happened, and that’s also were they longed to hit it and to be home, and hit land, and get homeward bound to see those loved one,” Gravy says. “The ship was one of the first iconic ones for sure.”
Anchors
“Most important is the anchor, that steadfastness, that holding down, that barrier, that element of security that you’re going to be able to make it through any situation,” Gravy explains. “A lot of the Sailor Jerry tattoos have a little bit of the anchor in it, but they also have an anchor that’s symbolized by itself. The anchor was one of those that meant being sturdy and steadfast, for sure.”
Hearts
“Then you have the heart, which again, sometimes would symbolize Mom inside the script of the banner, meaning that you longed to get home to that loved one,” Gravy says.
Lucky 13s
“The Lucky 13 cat was one of those that exemplified fear and also celebrated the idea of getting through fear,” says Gravy. “That’s why you have the Lucky 13.”
Swallows
“Then you have the swallow bird that meant 5,000 miles at sea,” Gravy tells us. “The first was the swallow’s famous migration pattern, always returning home to San Juan Capistrano. Second, it was believed that if a sailor dies at sea, birds carry his soul home to heaven.”
