Eagle Tattoos

A couple of years back, the New York Historical Society had an exhibit celebrating the city’s wild tattooing history called Tattooed New York. It was a fantastic exhibit for many reasons, but there was one thing that really struck me. It was a sheet of flash from the 1950s that featured a bunch of eagles of varying sizes, almost all of them sitting. Upon reading the card about it, I learned that the flash sheet was designed for cover-ups, specifically for covering up pin-up girls since the military had started to enforce rules against having the designs. Taking a second look, it was perfect. The dark feathers would be ideal for making risqué art disappear, not to mention that it would be replacing a pin-up with a patriotic images. No matter the need, an eagle tattoo is perfect for the job. 

I got to thinking about eagle tattoos again this week. The people in charge of the Instagram at Kings Avenue Tattoo having been doing an awesome job at keeping folks entertained while there are no new tattoos to exhibit. They’ve been running a tournament to decide which animal makes for the best tattoo. In the final the mighty eagle went up against the fierce tiger. Just like on Netflix, the tiger was king in the end. 

Alas, we already have a pretty rad article featuring tiger tattoos. So we decided to shine a little bit of glory upon the runner-up. There is just something about an eagle tattoo that asserts a timeless sense of cool. Especially when they have their wings spread wide, talons ready to grasp some prey and just the right amount of crazy in their eyes. 

When I think of a bad ass American Traditional style tattoo, more often than not my mind conjures up a bold and bright eagle inked across the chest. There’s something about it that is just perfect. 

In the gallery below you’ll find plenty of traditional eagles, but also some more realistic. Enjoy.