Sutherland Macdonald

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Sutherland Macdonald
Born25 June 1860
Boundary Terrace, Leeds, Yorkshire, England
Died18 June 1942
Surbiton, London, England
Burial placeSurbiton Cemetery
OccupationTattoo artist
Spouse(s)Sophia Weedon Annie Caroline Mayne (M:1887)
Amy Mary Keen (M:1934)
Parents
  • Robert Macdonald (1821/2–1898) (father)
  • Elizabeth Mitchell Macdonald (1821–1893) (mother)

Sutherland Macdonald was a prominent English tattoo artist in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and the first tattooist in Britain with an identifiable premises open to the public. Operating in a salon in London's Jermyn Street, he is listed in the 1894 London Post office Directory and considered the first person to offer a professional tattoo service in London, although the practice was already popular in Japan and the Middle East prior to that time.[1] He was said to have tattooed "kings" and "princes", including George V when he was Duke of York.[2]

Career[]

Macdonald served in the British Army in the 1870s as a telegraph operator in the Royal Engineers and was in the Anglo-Zulu War.[3] He trained George Burchett.[4]

In addition to artistic designs, he also performed color blending on skin grafts of accident victims.[5]

On January 29, 2016, the Museum of London opened a display of his work called Tattoo London.[6]

He died at his home on 3 Guilford Avenue, Surbiton and is buried at Surbiton Cemetery.

References[]

  1. ^ "The man who started the tattoo craze in Britain is coming to a museum near you". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  2. ^ Barker, Dudley. "This Tattooing Business", Evening Standard, London, England, number 35,098, February 23, 1937, page 7. (subscription required)
  3. ^ Lodder, Matt. "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Macdonald, Sutherland (1860–1942)". Oxford University Press. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  4. ^ Gibson, Kelly. "A Short History of Military Tattoos", VFW Magazine, volume 103, number 10 (August 2016), page 44.
  5. ^ "Tattoo Needle 'Darns Socks'", Sunday News, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, volume 13, number 10, November 17, 1935, page 22. (subscription required)
  6. ^ "Incredible ink", The Independent on Sunday, London, England, number 1,349, January 10, 2016, page 3. (subscription required)
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