Skin Deep

Captain James Cook FRS. After William Hodges, 1777
Tattooing is increasingly fashionable today but few people realise that it was stimulated by a remarkable moment in maritime history — the encounter between European and Polynesian peoples that took place in the late-18th century. From 1768, the voyages of Captain James Cook through the Pacific islands first brought Europeans into close contact with the islanders. Their customs, including tattooing, fascinated the sailors. Some of Cook's crew were tattooed, starting a trend that became popular among sailors all over the world.

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