Civil War Tattoos

Tattoo art, or “flash” by Augustus “Gus” Wagner, a tattoo artist, c. 1900–30

“The Civil War helped tattooing begin a transition from the military to wider society, and ushered in the style of classic tattooing unique to America. Tattooing had long been widespread among sailors, but during the war men who would never have considered getting a tattoo before wanted a way to show their allegiance to their cause and to identify themselves in the event of death.
“Your stripes can get torn off in battle,” says Paul Roe, a tattoo historian.
“Tattoos can’t.”
Read more: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/civil-war-tattoos
Aida Amir and Sarah Lasko. “Tattooing in the Civil War Was a Hedge Against Anonymous Death,” August 13, 2018