Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Summer/105/Section 08/John L. Walters

Overview

John L. Walters was a tattoo artist interviewed by Leonard Rapport on February 25, 1939 for the Federal Writers’ Project.

Biography

Early Life

John L. Walters, born in Danville, Virginia, moved to Durham, North Carolina at the age 14. In his childhood he enjoyed drawing pictures. He did not have the chance to receive a formal education growing up. However, as an adult, he was able to attend a night school intended for those with limited education.

Navy

Walters enlisted in the Navy on July 18, 1900 after the uniforms and advertisements caught his attention. He trained on Parris Island. During his time in the Navy he made three trips to the West Indies and one to England. He also spent his time in the Navy learning tattooing. Walters described the Navy in that time period as “the meanest place you could be.”

Tattoo Artist

Once out of the Navy, Walters traveled for two years through Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina as a tattoo artist. After he got married, he continued tattooing, but stopped traveling with the expectation of going to Hillsborough, North Carolina. Once he considered traveling to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for tattooing, but while there, only tattooed one college student. Throughout his tattooing career, he kept his prices the same which ranged from 75 cents to $1.25. Some tattoos he has done include moles, butterflies, mermaids, crosses, Social Security numbers, initials, and cover-up tattoos. After the Great Depression, Walters saw a decline in his career as a tattoo artist and did less tattooing. Walters contributed this to the fact that he was too inland, and most tattoo business occurred by the coast.

Although Walters enjoyed working as a tattoo artist, he was aware of how others may view tattoos, especially religious individuals. He asked three preachers of three different Christian denominations about their views of tattoos. To his surprise they said while they have no interest in getting tattoos themselves, they saw no issue with others getting tattoos.

Family

His mother was from Roanoke, Virginia and his father was from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but later moved to Danville, North Carolina. He had one brother and three sisters. Walters was primarily raised by his mother since his father died when he was young. Later, Walters got married, had two daughters and one son, and became a grandfather. In his family, none of his family members have tattoos with the exception of him and his wife, who he was able to convince her to let him give her a tattoo.

Social Context

Social Security Act

Due partly as a result of the Great Depression, on August 14, 1935, the original Social Security Act was signed. While the original act included monthly retirement benefits, amendments in 1939 to the act defined retirement and added dependent benefits and survivor benefits. These changes to the original act ultimately favored early participants and prevented an early reserve fund.

As part of the Social Security Act, Social Security numbers began issuing out to the public. In order for the public to remember their own Social Security numbers, people began to get tattoos of their Social Security numbers. This became a common tattoo for its functionality.

Early 20th Century Tattoos in America

Prior to the 20th century most tattoos were done with hand tools, but after the invention of the first tattoo machine in 1891, more tattoo artists began using some form of tattoo machine in their work. Ultimately, tattoos became less expensive and took less time to complete. These tattoo artists in the 20th century usually came from a working class background and commonly did not have art experience.

There were many popular and common tattoos in the early 20th century. For women, some of the most popular tattoos included moles, butterflies, flowers, and dragons. Many sailors were also tattooed. A common tattoo for sailors was a mermaid, due to the superstition that if one had a tattoo of a mermaid, one would not drown while at sea.

In the 20th century there were varying and shifting views of tattoos. While some tattoos were seen as fashion statements in cities like New York, others were looked down upon and seen as barbaric. For instance, many tattoos on soldiers were not seen positively as they returned home, despite the tattoos allowing the soldiers to bond while serving.

Bibliography

Fisher, Jill A. “Tattooing the Body, Marking Culture.” Body & Society 8, no. 4 (December 2002): 91. doi:10.1177/1357034X02008004005 https://journals-sagepub-com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/1357034X02008004005

Hettich, Madeline. “The Evolution of Tattooing in America” Grey Journal. (2019) https://greyjournal.net/art/the-evolution-of-tattooing-in-america/

Martin, Patricia P., and David A. Weaver. “Social Security: A Program and Policy History.” Social Security Bulletin 66, no. 1 (March 2005): 1–15.

Perzanowski, Aaron. “Tattoos & IP Norms.” Minnesota Law Review 98, no. 2 (December 2013): 511–91.

Rapport, Leonard. “John L. Walters, Tattoo Artist.” Federal Writers' Project Papers, 1936-1940

Waxman, Olivia B. “The Surprising History of Women’s Tattoos.” TIME Magazine 189, no. 9 (March 13, 2017): 23.