Sutherland Macdonald

Sutherland Macdonald (1860–1942) 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. He is 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]

Sutherland Macdonald
In The Sketch, 23 January 1895
Born(1860-06-25)25 June 1860
Boundary Terrace, Leeds, Yorkshire, England
Died18 June 1942(1942-06-18) (aged 81)
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)

Life and career

Sutherland Macdonald was born in Boundary Terrace, Leeds on 25 June 1860. He served in the British Army in the 1870s as a telegraph operator in the Royal Engineers and was in the Anglo-Zulu War.[3]

In addition to artistic designs, he also performed color blending on skin grafts of accident victims.[4]

He died on 18 June 1942 at his home on 3 Guilford Avenue, Surbiton, and is buried at Surbiton Cemetery.[3]

Legacy

On 29 January 2016, the Museum of London opened a display which included some of his work called Tattoo London.[5]

See also

References
  1. "The man who started the tattoo craze in Britain is coming to a museum near you". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  2. Barker, Dudley (23 February 1937). "This Tattooing Business". Evening Standard. No. 35, 098. London, England. p. 7. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Lodder, Matt. "Macdonald, Sutherland". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/100996. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. Written at London. "Tattoo Needle 'Darns Socks'". Sunday News. Vol. 13, no. 10. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. UP. 17 November 1935. p. 49. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Incredible ink". The Independent on Sunday. No. 1, 349. London, England. 10 January 2016. p. 3. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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