While New York City is known for always being ahead of the trend, there is one aspect of popular culture they were slow to catch onto, or, rather, catch back onto—tattoos. Tattoos have been a part of the land now known as New York City since the days of the Iroquois tribe. The Native Americans believed tattoos would protect them from evil and provide healing powers. Sailors who passed through New York in the 1700s were also known for getting their initials tattooed on them. In the early 1900s, it is said that more women than men had tattoos in New York City.
However, tattooing became illegal in New York City in 1961, and it wasn’t until 1997 that the ban was lifted. No one knows exactly why the ban took place. Some theories include preventing and maintaining an outbreak of hepatitis-B, a secret relationship between a popular tattoo artist’s wife and a city official, and the city wanting to maintain a cleaner appearance when they hosted the World’s Fair in 1964. Nowadays, there are over 250 tattoo studios in New York City, and the New York Historical Society Museum and Library had an entire exhibit entitled “Tattooed New York” in early 2017, to share the city’s tattoo history.